Timaeus of Locri
by s2Teennovelist
Summary: Part II: In the aftermath of Kemet's civil struggle, Yugi finds himself whisked away from the only world he's ever known as the Consort of the natorious Dragon Knight Timaeus. With both their hearts torn by uncertainty, can Yugi and Timaeus forgive eachother and bring love into their marriage? Yet even if he dares hope for a happy future can Yugi become the Magistrate Locri needs?
1. Chapter I: Timaeus

I HAVE OFFICIALLY BROUGHT KNIGTHSHIPPING TO FANFICTION !

I did it! I promised everyone a new story by summer and here it is! Woohoo! I'm so proud! And best of all I have the next six chapters written out so once they're all typed up I will update this story once a week. What your be a good day for my lovely reviewers?

Now this is KNIGTHSHIPPING, which is a branch of PUZZLESHIPPING 'cept it's TimaeusxYugi, sort of like blindshipping to everyone who's picky. Anyway this is a combination of fantasy and historical fiction (see notes at the bottom for anyone who has questions), and I'm very proud of the story and the plot! I'm also testing a new style and format with this story as well, which is why I'm able to get the chapters up so quickly and I really like it so far so I hope everyone enjoys it as much as I do.

DEDICATION: to only one person: Wings of the Valkyrie! This story started off as a dream I had and i pitched it to her for feedback and from there we started planning it out. She's helped me so much with this fic even when I thought about giving up on some awesome ideas, and she even beta-ed it for me! I love you girl! This story would've sucked so much without you!

Also shes written some pretty awesome Knight fics herself ;) i LOVE how she writes Timaeus if any of you are curious ;)

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing. Characters all belong to Kazuki Takehashi and Koonnami (The ones who did the anime: Dartz and Timaeus are anime-only characters), all historical characters are FICTIONAL versions of themselves and NOT based on fact. The Temple of Amun is also a real place, located in what is present-day Luxor.

As always read, review, criticize, comment, ask questions and have fun, any and all flames must have a reason.

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**Part One**

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_Chapter I: Timaeus_

**1047 B.C.E**

Waset.

He'd heard the tales, seen it on countless maps, and paintings, but no replication could compare to the splendor or reality. And from the forecastle of the trireme's bow, he had the perfect view of its luster.

A magnificent golden bridge to a forgotten paradise on the edge of the world—nourished by the Nile, bordered by the unforgiving sea, and defended by an endless, barren desert. Glorious with temples and pyramids, the once great nation birthed a great procession of kings and priests, philosophers and astronomers, healers and artists—rivaling that of the great civilization of Atlantis. Now, it was a fractured land of scattered kingdoms and temple priests.

He'd never found confidence in religion, not until Locri, but their faith was based on devotion and divine loyalty. Not like Kemet's _hem-netjer_ priests who owned lands, held offices, controlled towns, and ruled everything below the Delta in all but name. Waset was their capitol and The Great Temple of Amun, their palace—and his prize.

It was ironic, really; while they slouched in a castle of golden sand, enjoying safety and security behind their temples and ships and gluttonous on the offerings to the Gods, the true rulers were all but exiled to Djanet. But when he succeeded today, it would be Djanet—not Waset—that would be the seat of the new Great House, Pasebakhaenniut, renamed Psusennes I, its King—and Atlantis, its new ally.

He grinned. His prize glittered in the rising sun across the sea-fed river; buildings made like sand castles bleached white, mocking purity; granite walls encircling the temple precinct in a huge, single square, a barrier and a trap; and the golden Great Temple of Amun at its heart, a series of great halls, towering statues, and scattered buildings added and reshaped with each dynasty and each King.

By the time the Helios sun reached his zenith, the shores of the east Nile would be at the mercy of the Dragon Riders. Not a single general leading a massive fleet, not even a fleet at all, but three massive ships; the hulls painted in sea turquoise, navy night, and bloodied russet—their latten sails mimicking dragon wings and the bow of each ship ornamented with the forebody of their namesake, the final warning before conquest. Each one captained by one of the only three Generals loyal, powerful, and fearsome enough to earn the coveted and respected title of Dragon Knight. Atlantis was taking no risks. The outcome would be entirely to their favor.

The priests were powerful, but land and wealth would not protect them from Atlantis' Dragon Generals. They were not warriors. The Temple of Amun had no army—its navy contained only the royal barracks. Another power center, certainly, but unlike Waset itself and the priests who prayed to the Gods, its power was religious: cultural and influential. It was only in faith, and faith was a poor shield.

Under his King's command, and with Psusennes's blessing, it would soon belong to the supreme commander of the Atlantian Generals, the leader of the Dragon Knights, and the Trierarch of the _Eye of Timaeus_.

Giddy pride, well-masked, rushed through him. He spun from the bow and descended to across the deck—flawless grace commanded the swagger in his step. Sabatons clicked in warning, and at his approach conversations stopped, all foolishness vanished, and any thoughts of play extinguished. Hoplites retracted their shields. Thranites withdrew their swords. Soldiers who acted as crew paused their work, and someone rushed below deck to warn the rowers below.

By the time he reached the stern, not a single passenger was not on deck and when he made his appearance upon the dais, he met the proud sight of his soldiers all standing in military form—watching, waiting for his orders.

He approached the stern's deck with commanding grace, flawless and unchallenged—his face a mask of cold indifference as he glared lowly at them. None of them moved. None of them dared look away. All standing in obedient attendance, erect and alert and hanging on his every word. All fully armored in turquoise and black—colors of Atlantis' fiercest general.

Fearsome in both appearance and nature; his strength unmatched, his merciless gaze piercing even the cruelest of enemy hearts, and his honor inspired many a tale of bloodless victories and ruthlessly worded conquests.

"My Atlantian brothers," he bellowed—deep voice carrying through the air in a rich, prosperous baritone. "We have traveled far and sailed long." He strutted across the dais, the movements commanding and insolent but regal.

"But today," he stopped and spun to face them, mantle fluttering like the wings of a god behind him. "We set foot on the lands of our allies. Not as conquerors. Not slavers. But _liberators_." He stressed the word with a powerful shout. "From an unjust cult. From usurpers who seek to replace their King with one of their puppets—a puppet whose strings are held by those blinded by Lust, Greed, and Pride," he punctured each word.

"Traitors!" someone shouted.

"Thieves!" shouted another. Before long, the ship was alive with angry rants and shouts, and threats of violence and punishment. Their commander frowned, and withdrew his sword and slashed it across the air. It clanged against the metal of the stern with a loud, metallic sound echoing through the noise. Immediately, the men silenced, realizing their mistake. Adrenaline pumped their veins but in the promise of brawl and bloodlust of war, not their commander's vision.

The General's glare was harsh and unforgiving as stone. He stood tall and commanding. The heavy armor did little to conceal his herculean strength; a slender breastplate guarded a granite chest, and iron gauntlets—worn with the scars of many victories—encased firm arms and powerful legs. He'd discarded his helmet, revealing a face of harsh granite angles and chiseled with experience, as well as the wisdom of age. Thick tresses of midnight, with the darkest tints of blue, swayed in the sea breeze like a crown of blazing black fire. A forelock of silver bolts mimicked the symbol of the Greek sky king. And his eyes… the very eyes that were the final sight of so many who's been paralyzed by their beauty. One was the sparkling emerald of the sea, whose power he shared with the ocean herself blazed within them—harsh, indomitable, and untamable, but with dangerous calmness that any moment promises retaliation.

The other, a single slash—like the claw of some terrible beast that inspired countless rumors. Some say he'd survived a terrible fight, the opponent ranging from a savage beast to a wicked warlord. Others say he'd been touched by the very dragon whose title he shared and it was the dragon's claw that had left the mark. More fantastical souls believed he _was_ the dragon itself—for in the stories, he'd lost his right eye in battle. But all were rumors and not even the Atlantian King himself knew of the scar's origin, and it was a well-kept secret.

Sailors and soldiers alike looked on with fear and respect—his silence and disappointment louder and harsher than any biting words of disapproval.

"Liberators," he repeated at last. "Remember your honor, men. Remember the land you call home and the country you represent. You are her Pride and her Glory. Her Honor. Remember well your mission when you step on to the shores of battle. Remember what you have been taught, what _I_ have taught you. Attack only soldiers. Subdue only. Kill only if necessary. Take the priests hostage, but do not kill them. Do not harm the peasant men; do not hurt the farmer, the elderly, or the sick. Let no harm befall the women. Do not touch your hands to children. Defend, but kill _only_ if you must. But _know this,_" his voice lost all prosperous promise and was only a cold warning now. "If you murder the innocent man, if you rape the woman, or harm the child, kill the elderly for sport or the injured for pleasure, do so _only_ if you plan to take a knife to your throat. Do not think in your blind pride to escape your commander's wrath or bribe his mercy. Dishonor is the _worst _of all crimes in any form. And _no one_ is immune to punishment."

The warning was fierce and merciless, but not a single soldier flinched. Their oath was made long ago—their hearts pure and their respect too great.

"Because tomorrow," he rose his sword into the air. "We take the Great Temple of Waset!"

A roar of cheers echoed. Sword raised in promise. Their commander's name chanted like a prayer. "Timaeus! Timaeus! Timaeus!"

The smallest of smiles curled at his lips then he bellowed. "Now back to your posts!" He barked, sharp and quick. "I want this ship docked and you ready to march in the hour!"

He needn't ask twice.

He sheathed his sword and spun to the sound of clapping behind him.

"Good speech," the clapper complimented, arms crossed and golden eyes gleaming with pride. An emerald pendant was at his throat and a silver circlet of sovereignty rested on his brow. "A bit arousing for a simple retrieval mission, don't you think?"

Timaeus chuckled. "No mission is ever simple. They may not be warriors, but the hem-netjer will not relinquish command without a fight."

The king threw his head back in hearty laughter. "No humor when it comes to battle, I see."

"Battle is not humorous," Timaeus responded in a clipped tone.

"Indeed." The king's pleased face became a frown as he descended the dais. The commander followed without question and entered the aftercastle—a high wooden construction roofed over three rooms and provided all over with narrow horizontal slits for minimal light. The first third of the structure opened into a meeting room; their battle plans mapped on the center table pinned with stone figurines and battle pieces. Two wooden doors branched into sleeping quarters; one, the Trierarch's, and the other, the King's.

He hunched over the round table. His eyes scrutinized the ocean map imprinted in the wood. The stone figurines marked specific locations—targets.

"My Lord Dartz?" Timaeus bowed, and took his position where three ship pieces formed an off-triangle—one sea green, one deep blue, and one rusted red, all bearing dragon heads.

He took the green piece with the skill of chess. It followed the slithering river down the map, like outlining a large blue snake and stopped just to the left of a one-dimensional pattern of sand. A red marker dotted their prize.

"We will arrive on the shore within the hour. Critias is docked at Djanet," he moved the navy dragon head over a curved green triangle spider-webbed with rivers. "And Hermos," the red figurine remained immobile in the lonely blue sea, "Remains in the bay, awaiting command."

"Very good," Dartz nodded pleased, but still scrutinizing each detail. He pointed to the east beach. "We dock on the shores here," he tapped the spot roughly with his finger. At this perspective, it looked just outside the temple, but in reality, the distance was roughly one thousand feet. He traced the marching pattern as he spoke. "You and your men make the march and you will reach the temple before noon and, as Psusennes confirmed, the annual flood has filled the canals. We will sail right up to the front gate. We'll cut off their escape and minimize time."

"You're certain?" Timaeus questioned evenly. His loyalties forbid him from disobeying his King's command, but he had no fear of questioning uncertainties.

And Dartz respected it.

He smiled. "You were smart to leave at dawn," Dartz said with pride. "Waset is not the Delta. That has water and shade, but this is the open desert. They feel and know the full force of the sun, heat, and sand. _They_ are adapted to it. Do you really think Atlantian soldiers spoiled by ocean breezes and mountain rain, clad in heavy chains, would fare well under the highest of noon? When the sun is at its fiercest and the heat is most brutal?"

Timaeus hadn't thought of that. As a Dragon Knight, he was a seafarer and used to the fiercest of the sea storms; the razor winds sharper than daggers, the heavy rain pounding continuously like a never-ending barrage of stones, the rough waves slamming into you like iron-fisted punches knocking air from your lungs and balance from your feet. By comparison, the hot sun seemed mild. His time on the Nile had been short, but he'd felt the weight of the heat at once. The humidity alone was so thick and stuffy, it was like breathing soup. Here, the air was dry, but it seeped heat into his armor like thousands of slithering snakes and made his skin heavy.

With the high sun even more brutal, even the most seasoned of soldiers would have trouble.

His brows lifted, and Dartz smiled when he finally understood.

"The best way to avoid the harsh sun is to beat it there."

"I see," Timaeus nodded. "You're sure separating the army is the best route? We've taken only one ship, and I only have a handful of men." He also wasn't too keen on leaving his beloved ship in anyone else's hands, even his King's.

"Yes," Dartz said firmly. "As fine as your ship is, Timaeus, it boasts Atlantis. If the priests or even the common people see it approach, they will assume the worst. They may flee below or even attack. Our best hope is to avoid such attention and block the river."

"Without it, they can either surrender or choose the desert. And they are too proud to choose the desert," Timaeus said confidently.

"Never underestimate human fear," Dartz said with more of a chuckle than a warning. "Psusennes was clear: we are to capture everyone _alive_ and _unspoiled_. He won't have his reign begin with the slaughter of the High Priests, and I'd rather not jeopardize our alliance because the priests chose the coward's way out."

"Understood," Timaeus stood straight and nodded. "My men were given the strictest of orders."

"Very good." Dartz's smile radiated cautious confidence. "Kemet has suffered through enough divide and invasion. She will never be whole until the Red and Black lands unite. Pinedjem's reign was the first step. He became King, and his son, High Priest. Now, Amenemnisu is dead and Djanet has no King. The time for them to act is now. Amenemnisu reminded them that their power is limited, but they've grown used to independence from the capital.

They won't relinquish power easily. Psusennes is King by blood and education. They know they cannot influence him. If he becomes King, he will condense their power to remind them who they serve. Their reign as kings is weakening, and they sense it. They will not give it up without a fight."

"So, the rumors are true? They seek to put their puppet on the throne?" Timaeus asked, brows knitted together.

Dartz shrugged. "We cannot be certain until we interrogate them, but Psusennes is confident their claim is weak."

"Good," Timaeus grinned and rose from the table. "It will make our victory that much cleaner."

Dartz raised an eyebrow, but his smile was impressed. "You're certain you can win this with little bloodshed?"

"I am," Timaeus nodded confidently. "My men are not simple-minded soldiers who only care about murder and rape. They are proud warriors, strong fighters, experienced seamen, and patient oath-keepers. They are loyal to no one but me, save you. They will not disobey. And those with less control will know too well the consequences if they do." His tone darkened with the last sentence, deepening with retribution—but no malice.

"And what of those idiotic enough to try?" It was a rhetorical question, but laced with the authority of judgment.

Timaeus stopped in the threshold. A smile slit his face, but his eyes were bright with merciless promise. "What I do to all those foolish enough to betray my trust."

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I hope you all liked Timaeus ;) I certainly do! He's so much fun to write!

**Historical Note**: This story takes place during the Third Intermediate period, following the death of Ramses XI. During this time, Egypt suffered a great deal of divide and invasion. The High Priests of Amun gained a significant amount of power and influence because a lot of priests and religious figures shared family ties with the Pharaohs. So long story short, the Priests ruled the South (Upper Egypt, the desert from the Temple of Amun) and the Pharaohs ruled from Djanet (modern-day Tanis) and ruled the Nile Delta a.k.a. Lower Egypt (the North). Pharaoh Smendes I founded the 21st dynasty after Ramses, and was succeeded by Pharaoh Pinedjem I in Upper Egypt (he was High Priest of Amun from 1070 to 1032 BCE, and became de facto ruler of Upper Egypt in 1054 and married a daughter of Ramses XI to unite the two, and was succeeded by his son Masaharta as High Priest) while Neferkare Amenemnisu ruled Lower Egypt, but his reign was short and he died in 1047 BCE. This story takes place in the year of his death and prior to the crowning of the new Pharaoh.

Now, a note on Atlantis: to make this story as accurate as possible, I did a lot of research on Atlantis, specifically the book Timaeus of Locri, which not only inspired our fav dragon in the anime, but also gave Atlantis an actual location: Locri, Italy. The theory is, Atlantis sank 10,000 years go, but instead it was 10,000 years before Ancient Greece, but new sources believe the calculations were off and it was actually only 900 years before Ancient Greece that it sank, which makes much more sense. Granted this mean it would've sunk during Tut's reign but for the purpose of this story, it hasn't sunk yet.

**Glossary**

_Waset - _Modern Cairo

_Djanet - _Modern Tanis, made the royal capital by Psusennes I

_hem-netjer _\- Ancient Egyptian Priests

Temple of Amun - Modern Luxor

Trireme - a type of galley ship famous for its three sails, usually used as merchant and war ships. Atlantis ones are based on 17th-century Spanish trireme galleys.

Trierarch - title for the Captain and acting commander of a Trireme ship

**Grammar Knight's Note/s:**

Helios – the personification of the Sun in Greek mythology

_Kemet_ – name of Ancient Egypt in Egyptian/Coptic

Amun – King of the Egyptian gods

Red and Black lands – The ancient Egyptians thought of Egypt as being divided into two types of land, the 'black land' and the 'red land'. The 'black land' was the fertile land on the banks of the Nile. The ancient Egyptians used this land for growing their crops. This was the only land in ancient Egypt that could be farmed because a layer of rich, black silt was deposited there every year after the Nile flooded. The 'red land' was the barren desert that protected Egypt on two sides. These deserts separated ancient Egypt from neighboring countries and invading armies. They also provided the ancient Egyptians with a source for precious metals and semi-precious stones.

So, basically, Waset is located in the Red land.

X x X

**_Next_**_**Time:**_ _Chapter II: Ujalah_ \- We meet Yugi and follow him through a traditional morning for him at the Temple of Amun—and why he wants more than anything to escape it.


	2. Chapter II: Ujalah

All chapters have been typed and will be edited! This story will from now on be updated on a weekly basis on Friday: since its Fanfic's official "Update" day ^^ So, enjoy! I'm so happy I can FINALLY post a story with regular updates!

Disclaimer: I only own the plot! Yu-Gi-Oh and all its characters belong to Kazuki Takehashi and Koonami (since the Doma Arc is anime only), and Atlantis is loosely based on Plato's _Timaeus, _and the Atlantis accords that Plato got from Satron while in Egypt (further proof everything the Greeks did they got from Egypt).

Dedication: Always to my Beta Val, who without, this story would've never have made it to the computer! You're awesome girl! Also to BadBlackCatXV who got me into Knightshipping in the first place!

Historical Note at the bottom and as always, read, write, review, criticize, comment, ask questions and theorize! Have fun!

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_Chapter II: Ujalah_

He awoke while Nut was still arched over the land. The pearl light of her starlit outline pooled through the many stone slivers, casting purple shadows on the walls—perfect for nights spent stargazing and days away from the stale, dusty air of the temple and the unbearable heat of the day. He'd chosen the open, airy room to rebel the claustrophobic feel of the cave-like dwellings and sacred rooms located deeper in the darker confines of the House of Life that the _hem-netjer_ preferred.

Outside, the night faded from inky blue darkness to the brightening lavenders of dawn—a visible warning to hasten his movements. With a sharp inhale, he pulled up his foot and balanced it on the edge of his bed. His brows knitted and his tongue stuck out in concentration. Anxious struggled fingers impatiently with the impossible straps. His toes wiggled rebelliously, displeased with the confines and longing for his simple, comfortable, leather sandals. With a growl that morphed into a cry of aggravation, Yugi ripped the shoe off and flung it across the room. It hit the wall with a papery smack and dropped with a flop. And the _hem-netjer_ expected him to wear these horrid monstrosities every day?

He didn't bother with the second and shoved it away. It and the rest of his _gift_—a heavy pleated robe—slid off the bed and pooled to a pile on the floor. He sighed, hopped off the bed, smoothed the crinkles from his shenti, and combed his sleep-tossed hair poorly with his fingers until it spiked up in its unusual shape. His toes wiggled, brushing the polished sandstone with his toes. They would have to do for now. He'd wasted enough time. He slipped from his room with the sleekness of a prowling jungle cat, and raced through the shadows. He'd deal with the mess and the _hem-netjer_'s scolding later.

The temple's shadows made Nut's cool touch even more chilling and he felt it nipping at his skin like countless, tiny bites. The rough sandstone felt surprisingly refreshing against his feet, despite the cold bites—still much more bearable than those ungodly uncomfortable papyrus sandals and those ridiculous heavy and hard robes the _hem-netjer _"insisted" on.

_Ank-menu_ was a massive complex: a giant's forest of rusted-red granite pillars and sandstone architraves depicting great victories of previous monarchs, and miracles of beloved Gods. Located at the heart of Amun-Ra's precinct and with convenient access to the central court where Amun's primary image stood toweringly powerful and ever-watchful on an active alabaster slab. Perfect for conducting rituals and placing morning sacrifices, it was an ideal choice for service. With the flood-fed canals of Sphinx Avenue bringing boats from Waset just outside the enclosure wall, and countless long chambers and suites left empty in once-dedication to Sobek and other lesser Gods, it served as the perfect makeshift palace. During the day, it was a labyrinth of shadows. At night, these same shadows danced and cast illusions of false hallways, and pretend-exists, but Yugi knew better. It was another reason Yugi preferred the solar complex where his room was built.

He navigated the enclosed labyrinth of massive stones and tall columns with the skill of somebody well-versed in its tricks and the ease of one who'd mastered its secrets. After all, he'd been raised here.

As a child of a Singer of Amun, he'd lived all his life in the _Ipet-isut_, specifically the House of Life of Amun-Ra and that of his consort, Mut-Sekhmet. And like all the divine servants, he lived in the temple. Previous generations of _hem-netjers_ had served the Gods faithfully and with the entire King's loyalty, but the death of Ramses XI had changed the Divine Servants of Amun's role. They had wasted no time refurnishing the spare rooms with rich lavishing and beeswax candles. They owned two-thirds of all the temples in Kemet, controlled its ships and ruled the red land in all but name. Position and power had made them spoiled and they toyed with their power the way children pretended to be soldiers—and for a brief moment, believed they were. In the past, Yugi had ignored them. His role in the House was limited, if at all. But following her death, he'd found himself the unwanted focus of their attention. His last protest had earned him confinement in the scribe rooms copying scribe texts, knowing full well it was his most hated job.

Yugi passed the central court where Amun's primary image stood like a watchful guardian. He quickly skittered past the Great Hypostyle Hall with a side glance only, and ran through the maze of granite statues chiseled in the likeness of previous kings, towering columns, sculptures of watchful Gods—complimentary obelisks bearing laws and messages of old. Once he breached the Osirian pillars flanking either side of the fourth pylon—a massive wall of sandstone blocks—he veered left to the adjacent first court.

Entering the open, airy desert, Yugi paused to squint. The pale pink and lavender of Amun's rising splashed across the sky, brightening the retreating darkness and filling the air with a damp, dewy smell. Yugi inhaled the morning with anticipation, stretching his arms and greeting the God of Dawn with a warm smile. It wouldn't be long now.

His sanctuary glittered in the pale red and yellow dawn just beyond the courtyard. The huge lake—small compared to the rest of the complex—shined with a soft lavender sheen in the morning light. Palms flocked the sides and the water was calm and quiet like the surface of a lapis lazuli mirror. In his more imaginative moments, Yugi could almost believe it was solid and reach out to touch it. On special days, the _hem-netjer_ would bathe in the sacred waters: purification before beginning rituals. Yugi hiked along the shore past lesser temples and the engraved botanical garden of Thumoise III to the far side bordering the desert where palms and reeds had overgrown the banks.

Only he knew the sacred spring's secret now. He settled among the reeds and plopped comfortably on his stomach, watching Amun's birth through the far-off sand dunes. Colors splashed across the sky, banishing the darkness and the golden sphere of Amun-Ra rose over the capital city and the far enclosure wall, symbolizing his return from the Underworld and his triumph over the demon beast Apep—and Yugi watched it all in the reflection of the sacred spring. It was his favorite time of the day.

For those few hours, Yugi's actions and whereabouts were the least of the Amun servants' concerns. For that short span of time, there were no lectures on proper priestly behavior, no endless rules and countless training on the flawless procedure of rituals, or annoying advice on the importance of advisory, or hunching over stone tables copying scripture. For those precious few moments, Yugi was free.

He fidgeted in his position, waiting in a fit of anticipation—Amun's light drawing slowly towards the spring, but only once it touched would the miracle start.

Slowly, dark shapes swayed beneath the surface. Yugi's heart quickened and anxious fingers clenched the reeds so tightly they pinched his fingers. He inhaled sharply, then released a gasp of delight.

Deep blue pods swayed like cobras in the water. Slowly, they broke the surface of the water, creating tiny interlocking waves. Leaves and petals unfurled from the tear-shaped pods in a single, flowing spin. Luminous petals fanned open, boasting soft, beautiful blooms—an indigo so deep it put lapis lazuli to shame. Their golden heart sparkled in greeting to the Atum. Soon, all the flowers were open, floating on the sacred pool's dark surface like an organic galaxy of stars against Nut's midnight. The magical dance complete, Yugi exhaled a breath and lied on his stomach, basking in the morning's warmth and enjoying their peaceful presence. His own lotus blue eyes, wide and large, sparkled with childish wonderment.

He'd lost count how many years he'd been in the Great House of Amun, but watching his favorite blue lotus rise from the depths of the pond each morning filled him with the same mystified wonder as it had that first morning when he was just a squirming toddler in his mother's lap. It had become their own secret morning ritual, as sacred to them as the _hem-netjer_'s in their dutiful service to the Gods. Her death had only made its continuance that much more important. If he closed his eyes and remembered hard enough, he could clearly picture her sitting there: her long ebony hair, streaked with gold and adorned with a royal diadem. Her brown eyes, large and spaced wide, glittering with the gentleness of a deer against sandy gold skin—a keen intelligence glistened in them like sparks. Her face was a heart, completed with a smooth chin, high mobile cheeks and a generous mouth made for smiling. She was beautiful, and Yugi had inherited all of her beauty. All but her eyes: the deep blue, almost violet color, of lotus blossoms. "That, my habibi," she'd told him since he was old enough to remember, "Is yours alone, my Habibi Ujalah."

He picked himself up when he heard a rustle of wind, and saw shadows fall over the pool, and frolicked towards the open desert. Yugi left his hiding place and hurried inside. He came out a moment later carrying a reed basket under his arm, and hurried back to the courtyard. At his arrival, lovely black and white ibises flocked at his feet, impatiently waiting for their breakfast. Yugi chuckled and took a handful of seeds, but instead of throwing them down, he trailed them away from the spring and into the open desert of the courtyard. Quickly, Yugi molded handful of seeds into neat little piles, and the ibises attacked them in orderly fashion. Those unable to reach simply flocked to the next pile in Yugi's line until each one ate its fill. Those ill or too young to compete with their stronger, livelier flock mates, Yugi let feast directly from the basket. It took longer this way to feed them all, but Yugi doubted Thoth would appreciate his sacred beasts fighting like jackals over scraps.

When the basket was empty, he set it aside and the ibises examined it, curiously looking for anything else to munch on. Yugi left them to their play and lied down upon the sand, watching his feathered companions walk and flap, squabble and screech, and flock and fly—regardless of the precinct's towering stone walls, admiring their outline against the sky where he could still make out the outline of Thoth's eye. He gazed beyond the pylons, where another avenue of sphinxes led to the precinct of Amun's consort with a smile of admiration. He imagined the vast open desert surrounding them both; its golden sand dunes, shaped by rough winds that promised freedom at the price of survival, and once again, Yugi wished he had the courage to answer the call the ibises did without any doubt or hesitation.

The flock surrounded him; some took to the air, others waddled about, and a handful perched at his side. They stared at him, with multiple emotions glistening in their intelligent eyes like tiny black stars, and smiles forming on their crescent curved beaks. One straddled over to his side and curled against his hip, tucking its small head in its plumage to sleep. Yugi smiled and stroked the soft feathers. The creature cooed in pleasure, the sound soft and bird-like.

Of all his chores, this was the only one Yugi loved. He'd helped his mother feed the birds each morning even though ibises were sacred to Thoth, not Amun or Mut—but they called the valley their home, and that was enough for her.

"All the Gods are precious, habibi," she'd told him. "We must always show them our love and respect their presence when they reveal it to us."

And that was what he did. He'd grown up with his flock. Trust had been built, and he admired them with a mixture of envy and love. As much as Yugi enjoyed their company, a pang of jealousy clenched his heart whenever he watched them fly. _They_ were not bound by the enclosed walls of Waset. _They _were not forced to remain in a singular place. _They _were not confined to a dark, dank, crowded temple away from the sun, the water, the air—even the town. _They _were not subjected to the orders and obligations of arrogant men. _They _had the power to fly and begin somewhere new. They were free.

Yugi had no such luxury. An arm draped over his eyes, blocking the heat, but he couldn't blame the sun for their sudden wetness. Yes, he'd spent years in the Precinct of Mut-Sekhmet under his mother and sister's tutelage, learning the art of herbs, physicians, and the magic to expel pestilence that made him more suited to the priesthood of Sekhmet rather than Amun. But no, Mut's precinct had been forbidden to him as well, though he never understood why the Divine Servants all but demanded he remain at the precinct after she died. As a Singer of Amun, she had only a temporary role in the chief God's ritual, and though he shared her love of music, hymn, and song, Yugi never imagined he'd be destined for a similar fate—even if the House's religious residents didn't think so.

A lone tear escaped his eyes. Yugi had never hated the precinct—not really—but the past weeks had grown incredibly lonely, his existence even more isolated, and though it was gradual, his home had become his prison. He wished Mut was here. She'd been the one to hold him when his mother died. It had been she who stroked his hair, held his head in her lap, and let him cling to her like a beloved security toy and cry when everyone else had all but ordered him to be strong. He wished she'd taken him with her, but the Divine Servants wouldn't let him accompany her to Djanet. _They_ had an entirely different destiny planned for him. One Yugi wanted no part in—but he knew better than to place his hope on wishes and dreams. Wishes would not buy his freedom. Dreams would not provide him the means to escape the expectations of temple life and its tedious chains.

He expelled a long sigh and tugged a lock of his wild hair. His fingers curiously twirled the pale gold tendrils. His forelock was an unruly arched lock of pale gold and unusual compared to his native ebony locks, despite the fact they spiked wildly—blazing in the breeze like black fire. It was only a matter of time now, he knew. His father had patted the soft tresses for hours when he was a child and despite her employment at the House, her mother never developed the heart to take a blade to them. As son of a Singer of Amun, however, he'd been lucky to avoid having it shaved, but after the servants confiscated his shawls and leather sandals, it was only a matter of time until Menkheperre demanded he conform. The thought filled him with dread, until a bird brushed his side and chased the thought away.

Snuggling in the comforting acceptance of the ibis, Yugi laid back again, closed his eyes and, for once, allowed himself to be at peace.

"If I could wish for just one thing…" he breathed, pretending for that tiny moment that he wasn't a temple slave or surrounded by imprisoning walls. He was off in some sort of far-away land, like a bird fluttering among exotic flowers, or a serpent coiling in-between the refreshing cold and soothing heat of the Nile shore. Or even his beloved blue lotus making its morning ascent towards the sun, breaking the surface of its watery crypt and unfurling its petals and basking in the freedom of the light.

"That is why I named you 'Ujalah'," his mother had told him that first morning. "Because like the lotus that reaches for the sun… you, Yugi, shine."

"I'd like to have something that is just… for me."

* * *

Hardest thing about this chapter and the Egyptian setting in general? The Kemet/Ancient Egyptian names! Curse my obsession with historical accuracy! I did a LOT of research on Karnak and the Precinct of Amun and was very selective of the places I needed and would describe because there is just SO much, so I stuck with what I needed.

Glossary:

_hem-netjer _\- Ancient Egyptian Title for High Priests and priests in general; literally "servant of God"

_Ank-menu _\- Festival Hall of Thutmose III; normally translated as "the most glorious of monuments", but "monument to living spirit" is an alternative translation

_Ipet-isut - _Literally "The Most Selected of Places", refers to the area around Karnak and the Precinct of Amun and the main place of worship of the eighteenth dynasty

Ujalah - Kemetic/Ancient Egyptian, literally "shine" (usually a female name)

Habibi - Kemetic/Ancient Egyptian form of endearment; literally, beloved; refers to either a lover or a family member

X x X

**Grammar Knight's Note/s:**

Nut – Egyptian goddess of the sky

Sobek – Egyptian god of the Nile, the Army, military, fertility and of crocodiles

Amun – King of the Egyptian gods

Ra – Egyptian god of the Sun

Amun-Ra – basically, Amun fused with the sun god Ra; also another name for Amun, so Amun is also sometimes known as the Sun God

Atum – Egyptian god of creation; also known as Atem

Thoth – Egyptian god of Knowledge; his sacred animals are ibises and baboons

Mut – the World-Mother, Eye of Ra, Queen of the Goddesses, Lady of Heaven, Mother of the Gods, and She Who Gives Birth, But Was Herself Not Born of Any.

Sekhmet – Egyptian goddess of fire, war, vengeance, menstruation, and medicine

Mut-Sekhmet – the fusion of Mut and Sekhmet, wherein the goddess is loving and fiercely protective. Later chapters of the fanfic will go into more detail about her 'cause she's awesome. ;)

*Take note that there are **two different Muts** being portrayed here. One is obviously the Queen Goddess of Egyptian mythology, while the other Mut is the nickname of someone very precious to Yugi. ;D

X x X

*Little note on Blue Lotus, or the Egyptian blue lotus is the sacred flower of Ancient Egypt, which sadly is extinct in the modern Nile Delta and grew along the east Nile but was also planted in Sacred Lakes for devotional purposes (specifically the Temples to Mut, since it was sacred and a symbol of Amun and the rising sun each morning). Contradictory to popular belief, the flower buds rise to the surface over a period of two to three days, and when ready, open at approximately 9–9:30 am and close about 3 pm. The flowers and buds do not rise above the water in the morning, nor do they submerge at night. I just has to add them ^^

**NEXT TIME: **The Priests of Amun-Ra send Yugi's least favorite person to fetch him, and we get a deeper look at Yugi's life in the temple—and what has changed.

**Update date: Friday, June 27th **


	3. Chapter III: Hostage

Got a late start this morning so this chapter is a little late ^^' Sorry about that. But here is the long awaited Chapter 3!

I am so happy with the reception to this story! I was so pleased with all the favs and follows, though I was hoping for more REVIEW it got over 85 views according to my Stats so i'm not complaining!

Dedications: I completely forgot but I wanted to dedicate this story as a SUPER late birthday gift to my lovely hikari and good friend Tay: her request was for a Knightshipping fic with a cross-dressing Yugi, which i was more than happy to comply, especially since I was already doing one anyway ^^ Great minds think alike (or in this case a yaoi loving uke and seme have the same guilty pleasure ;))

Also special thanks and love as always to Val for all her help with second opinions when i was questioning my ideas; especially for this chapter (woo! was this one a bitch!)

As always read, review, comment, critique and have fun! and enjoy the historical notes at the bottom! I assume everyone enjoys them since i haven't heard any complaints ^^

* * *

_Chapter III: Hostage_

"Ujalah!" The word was bellowed, harsh and angry, and the peace was shattered. Aggravated steps followed the sudden frightened fluttering of wings, and Yugi shot up, awakened by the frightened caws of dozens of screeching birds. He opened his eyes to the fury of swatting wings, raining black and white feathers. He shrieked and covered his face, the panicked feathered limbs nearly swatting his cheek. The flock relaxed and settled a few paces away, leaving Yugi alone with the interloper on the sand.

_Apep and all devils!_ Yugi swallowed a curse. _Why did they have to send him?_ He bit back an annoyed curse when the interloper approached in a heavy, goaded stomp—clearly just as annoyed as Yugi was, but far worse.

"Hem-netjer Siam," Yugi greeted with forced politeness, but his next words were drowned in false praise. "I am glad to see you well this rise."

Siam was unimpressed. He was a short man, stout and round and with a protruding middle that spiked disgustingly between the folds of his pleated robe and shenti. Like all the hem-netjer, he was hairless, with a priestly headdress covering his bald head, and he carried his superiority like a badge of honor—though only he saw it as such. Of all the hem-netjer, Divine and not alike, that flocked between the capital and Waset's Great House of Amun, Siam was the only one that Yugi hated.

"Why are you not assisting in the morning ritual?!" He demanded in a slurry tone, like Yugi's very existence was a bother.

Yugi's glare sharpened at the tone, firm and unafraid. "I _am_ performing my morning duties. To the God Thoth. Or at least I was, before you frightened his messengers with your unneeded stomping." He gestured to the flock still perched several paces away with the casual annoyance of explaining common knowledge. "As I do every day when Amun is born again."

Siam's meaty hands balled into fists, the heavy wrinkles and protruding lips curving into a brutish snarl. "Amun is our primary concern," he snapped, more angered that Yugi had spoken back at all than by the actual words. "And you'd do well to remember it!" Having never recovered from his dismissal in the Per-A'Ah's service, Siam made it a habit of commanding every "lesser" hem-netjer and temple hand he found. Yugi was no exception.

With a cool shrug, Yugi replied in casual irritation. "I'm _not _a hem-netjer, to Amun or otherwise, and I have other duties to attend to when he rises."

A cruel smirk slit Siam's face. "Well then, perhaps if your… duties," he brushed off the word like it was dirt on his shenti, "are occupying too much of your time, perhaps I should speak to the Divine Servants of Amun. I'm certain they can find some lesser servant to lighten your burden."

"No!" Yugi said too quickly, and was on his feet in an instant. Siam's smile was awful with triumph, but Yugi ignored it. _I'll be damned to Ammut's belly before I let them take _this_ from me,_ he declared boldly in his mind. He wouldn't give Siam the satisfaction of seeing him relent.

"Perhaps if you hurry, the Divine Servants won't scold you for missing the morning rituals," Siam chortled, his pendulous belly bouncing.

"I doubt the Divine Servants even noticed my absence," Yugi bit back his disgust. "You seem to be enjoying the temple's sacrifices well enough." He stared at the man's belly and grinned when Siam grimaced. "Tell me, do all of the hem-netjer share so hearty in the God's spoils?"

Siam spun around and struck his meaty palm across Yugi's cheek. The shock, rather than the force behind it, sent Yugi spinning to the ground. He barely touched the sand when Siam's thick fingers clamped around his thin forearm like a vice made of thick sausages and dragged him up. "I thought the hem-netjer had beaten such insolence out of you by now," he snarled, twisting Yugi's arm at an awkward angle and dragged him towards the temple without mercy. "Insolent brat," the brute scolded in his true nature—mean and stupid. "Lounging around lazy and dirty in the sand, and playing with filthy birds… What would Isetemkheb say?"

A single, frozen instance was all took for Yugi's rage to possess him. Fury consumed his hands and flew like a rabid bird attacking Siam's face with its claws and furious screams. Shocked and terrified, Siam screeched, releasing Yugi's arm and retreated like the coward he was. It wasn't enough to watch him cower. Yugi had ignored the slap, ignored the stupid rambling, and could even ignore the bruising grip hurting his arm. But he could not ignore or forgive _that_. The way he had said it… like he had a claim to it. Like he had the _right_ to speak it!

Yugi's hand shot forward and gripped the short man by the neck of his tunic. All smugness and superiority gone from Siam's face; instead, his eyes were wet, his mouth opened in voiceless plea, and his face scrunched in a groveling apology. He was a coward. A mean, stupid coward and he, least of all, had any claim to _her_ name.

"Never," Yugi snarled dangerously low, "Say the name of Per-A'Ah Pinedjem's second Royal Wife in my presence again."

He dropped the man and fled to the hall, leaving Siam on the sand. He braced himself against Ramses' statue and gasped. His lungs constricted in shock, rage, and despair, and let himself sink to his knees. Amun's rays beat down heavily on his back, causing his skin to burn. Wanting nothing more than to retreat to the shadowed, relative safety of his room, he forced himself to stand and dragged his feet.

Inside, the House was cool but chilled, and slowly, he dragged himself deeper into the depths of the tomb—the sanctuary's location mapped in his heart. The last thing he needed was Siam complaining about his antics—again.

X

The Divine Servants of Amun, the highest order of hem-netjer, had already finished the sacred morning rituals by the time Yugi arrived. Lesser hem-netjer and House servants extinguished the flames, cleared away tools and incense, and dancers brushed past Yugi, silently carrying the tool of their trade. Neither had seen Yugi enter the chamber, but the wet slap of his bare feet on the granite betrayed him.

They spun from the altar and their formally-neutral expressions shifted into contrasts of each other.

"Ujalah," the female of the two purred with a curved smile. Short and round with a pudgy chest and the face of an aging girl, she looked nothing like a goddess. Standing on the dais, she stared down at Yugi, gleaming with the pride and mock authority her position commanded. "Good of you to join us. Pity the morning services are all concluded, but perhaps if you begin your vigils now, the Great God Amun will forgive you." Her voice was soft and playfully mocking, but with well-concealed wickedness.

Next to her, the Divine Servant wore a critical frown and hard eyes that betrayed no emotion. Though taller than Yugi, he was a short man with thick limbs and fragile hands, but his harsh, unreadable gaze and stern posture commanded respect and obedience. Yugi did not shrink away.

At one time, Yugi knew them as Menk and Maat, and he was their Yugi, but such familiarities had ceased long ago. They were no longer even Menkheperre and Maatkare anymore. No… now they were the Highest Divine Servant of Amun and God's Wife of Amun: Divine Adoratrice. Names they'd christened in the tradition of previous powers—though Yugi suspected their true purpose was to mimic the divine rite bestowed upon Per-A'Ahs that were denied from them. The hem-netjers of Amun had never been known for their humanity—at least, not the ones Yugi had met.

Menkheperre's—as Yugi knew the Divine Servant—scrutinizing gaze summed Yugi's disheveled attire and bare feet, and shook his head with disapproval. "You were sorely missed at worship this morning," he said without emotion, but his scowling eyes spoke volumes.

Yugi mimicked his neutral mask and tone. "Forgive me." It wasn't an apology. "I was doing my chores."

"You were shirking your duties again!" Divine Adoratrice Maatkare cut him off and shot forward, her hard blue eyes burning black as pitch. With all of Menkheperre's power and pride but none of his control, the woman expected obedience like the common folk expected Amun to rise each day. "And what," she snarled in disgust, glaring heatedly at the flimsy shenti he'd slept in, his sand-dusted knees and arms, dirty fingers, and hair matted with ibis feathers, "Do you mean by showing up ragged as a common peasant?"

Yugi was unfazed. "What did you expect, Divine Adoratrice? When you confiscated all my clothes and shoes but what I wear now?" His voice was a snap and full of sarcasm.

"Do not be ungrateful," Menkheperre chided, stepping down from the dais, commanding even without its additional height. "We provided you with new, more _appropriate_ garments just last rise, did we not?" Though short in stature, his perfect posture and the fact he stood two hands taller than Yugi made him appear larger and thus more intimidating.

Only Yugi saw through the illusion.

"You should not have replaced them in the first place!" Fury laced his words and Yugi let all the rage and betrayal he'd felt bleed into his voice.

"You should feel honored!" Maatkare barked. The heavy beaded braids of her wig writhed about her face like corded ebony snakes and her eyes blazed like an uraeus about to spit fire. "Only we, the Great God's Divine Servants, are permitted to wear such finery!" she bragged—but in her voice, Yugi thought he heard a plea.

She'd given the same speech when Yugi had returned from a long day of scribing and found the sheep servants obediently stripping the room of his linen tunics and ox leather sandals, and replacing them with "proper" House of Life attire. _You should feel honored,_ she'd chided when he'd complained—but unlike last night, she'd added a few words so low, it was almost a whisper. "Isetemkheb was."

Yugi blanched his face blank, and for a moment, Maatkare looked like she'd regretted the words. Then Yugi's expression hardened—lotus eyes sharpened to Nut blue slits, his jaw clenched until his mouth was a row of angry teeth, and his brows furrowed together in a single glaring line. "_She _was _grateful_!" His voice was dangerously low and laced with darkness—darkness, and venom, and barely concealed fury. "You dare speak of her!" His white knuckled hand shook, his shoulders a tense line. "She was _wab Sekhmet_—and Divine Singer of Amun. She healed countless lives and touched even more hearts—including Per-A'Ah Pinedjem's and Royal Wife Henuttawy's, and she devoted her life to Kemet and its entire people. You have _no_ right to even speak her name! Not to me!" He couldn't stop himself from shaking if he wanted to.

"We loved her too, Ujalah!" Maatkare shot forward and grabbed Yugi's arm. "Why do you think you are here? Why do you think you are trained as _wab Mut-Sekhmet_? Why do you think we kept you safe when the others fled to Djanet?!" she raged and pleaded.

"Let go of me!" Yugi demanded, pulling on his arm but she clung tightly to him with desperate nails, leaving crescent indents in the pale flesh. "Why do you think we make these decisions for you? It's to keep _you_ safe! Because we loved her, and we love you! Do you not understand that?!"

"That's a lie!" Yugi snapped and wrenched at his arm, but her grip was tight and desperate.

"Listen to her, Ujalah." Menkheperre marched forward.

"No!" He poured all his strength and grief into his arm, and wrenched himself free. The force took Maatkare by surprise and she whirled forward, barely catching herself. Menkheperre caught her and glowered at Yugi who backed away, his glare blazing with harsh rage.

"That is enough!" He growled the command, his composure finally giving way to frustration. "You will do as you are told, Ujalah. We know what's best for you."

"What's best for me!?" Yugi cut him off with an incredulous laugh and burlesque respect, halfway between shock and sarcasm. "Is that what you call confining me to my rooms, forcing me to do scribe work and hem-netjer chores, forbidding me from seeing my mother's sacred House, and separating me from Pas and Mut?!" His eyes stung with unshed tears, but he willed them not to fall.

"And you think Pasebakhaenniut and Mutnedjmet will be different?" Menkheperre shot in a rhetoric laugh, his face contorting with betrayed rage and the fury of powerless love. "You think he will become Per-A'Ah and come back for you? Like he _promised_?" He spat the word like it was a foul-tasting poison. "You think the arrogant fool will honor his promises? Like Amenemnisu honored my ruling when he pardoned the rebels _I_ stopped?" He stomped towards Yugi, who took a cautious step back.

"No, Ujalah, we cannot count on the Per-A'Ah to help us," he said, soft and serious. "We cannot rely on Kings and dynasties. We have stayed hidden and suffered in their shadows for too long. It's time for us to act." The ferocity in his eyes and voice bordered madness. Yugi shivered and retreated until his back hit the wall, and Menkheperre towered menacingly over him. He snatched a hand forward and grabbed Yugi's shoulder in a sharp tug and forced him to look at him. His eyes blazed with mad promises. A smile slit his face and his tongue licked his upper lip, staring like Yugi was a prized beast he'd succeeded in trapping—and couldn't wait to show off.

"Don't you see, Yugi?" Maatkare appeared at his side, her voice dangerously soft. "Once we choose the new Per-A'Ah, we'll be free. You will have everything. We can _give_ you anything." Her promises were enthralling whispers, temptations of granted wishes and fulfilled dreams—for a price that would cost more than his soul. "All you have to do is obey us. Trust us, and never question us again."

"Trust us, Ujalah," Menkheperre echoed, concluding. "At best, you'd only be their servant."

They spoke in twisted tones, clipped with manipulated care and the softness of a hard master, telling him to be a "good boy"—and if he was, he wouldn't be beaten. Their victorious faces mocked him. They smiled at his silence—his fear.

Pouring all his courage, all his will, all his grief and rage and might into his next movement, Yugi wrenched his arm free with a shrieking, "No!"

The refusal echoed off the limestone walls, bouncing like the screech of thousands of scared birds taking to wing—and the force behind it was so strong, it sent both Servant and Adoratrice whirling back in shock. Yugi didn't know how he reached the door, but with one final look, he let all his anguish bleed into his voice. "I'd rather be Pas and Mut's slave than your prize!"

He whirled around, leaving the shocked pair behind—but it wasn't the words that made them shake. He had said 'Pas and Mut'. It was a common mistake among close comrades and relations to forget titled and full names in public and private in favor of warmer familiarities. They'd done it all the time in their father's presence, but he never made a notion of it. Only from Yugi did it have the power to cut.

* * *

And now we see why Yugi hates his life in the House of Life of Amun. I hope you all liked Menkheperre and Maatkare—they're loosely based on the historical Menkheperre and Maatkare (I wonder if that makes them OCs?) XD I did a lot of research to make them accurate, even physical appearances, granted I don't know if they were necessarily as arrogant ad I made them, but I did a lot of research and tried to create characters based on the situation around them, so I hope i pulled it off.

Glossary (I swear everytime I think I got it I miss something)

_Per-A'Ah _\- Coptic, literally "The Great House", the title used for the King of Kemet a.k.a. Ancient Egypt, however, it was not used until the New Kingdom; the Greek version of the word is Pharaoh.

Great Royal Wife - Since there is no word for Queen in the Coptic language, the official title of Queen was Great Royal Wife; signaling the woman's status as wife of the Pharaoh (and thus, wife of a God), in Egypt, even if the King has many wives, the title 'Royal Wife' was given to those with power and influence, but there was only one Great Royal Wife—who was usually mother of the King's Heir and acted as Queen Regent. As of the New Kingdom, the title also included God's Wife of Amun and the Royal Wife acted as Head of religious and political power.

_Waset _\- Coptic name for Thebes, (modern Cairo) Royal capital until the Third Intermediate Period when it was shifted to Djanet (modern Tanis)

_Apep _\- (Yugi used him in a curse so i figured I'd add it) The enemy of Ra, and the Kemetic Orthadox (Ancient Egyptian faith) equivalent of the devil. He is the serpent, whale, or water creature (water snakes in Egypt were associated with him because they were more dangerous and poisonous than land snakes and didn't eat rats) that lived in the primal waters of chaos and sought to restore the world to nothingness. He lived in the Underworld and each night attacked Ra's boat to try and swallow him but he was always defeated by Seth (contradictory to popular belief, Seth was highly though of and was actually made into the Chief God during the 19th Dynasty. It wasn't until the Greeks started associating the Egyptian Gods with their own that he was seen in a negative light)

House of Life - the Ancient Egyptian name for Temples to the Gods, usually simplified as "The House" (there was no word for temple, again that was a Greek association); The House of Life of Amun contains two main parts: the Precinct of Amun where most of the temples and additions were made, and the House of Mut or Mut-Sekhmet which is located through the south gate down an Avenue of Sphinxes. Unlike Amun's temple, it contains only one temple housing a Statue of Mut that is believed to invoke her Ka, and an enormous crescent-shaped sacred lake. Her temple also houses dozens of Sekhmet statues, because Sekhmet and Mut became associated as other halves of the other during the New Kingdom.

Divine Servant of Amun - the title associated with the High Priest of Amun's House of Life; and referred to the hem-netjer with the highest standing; other titles were First Prophet of Amun and _hem netjer en tepy_; Menkheperre, son of Pinedjem I, held this office until he swore loyalty to Psusennes I

Divine Adoratrice - second title created for the High Priestess of Amun, and the second highest rank for a woman in the priesthood, second only to the title God's Wife of Amun (which was usually given to the Great Royal wife); the office was important because she was in charge of anointing (crowning) the next Pharaoh, and was usually a daughter of the current Pharaoh taken on as a successor to the current one; title reach its peak of power during the Third Intermediate Period and Late Period. Sometimes coupled with title God's Wife of Amun; Maatkare, daughter of Pinedjem I, held both titles.

God's Wife of Amun - title for the highest ranking priestess of Amun and later given to the Great Royal Wife during the New Kingdom and Third Intermediate period when Amun's cult was at its peak, where it reached full religious and political power. The office was for the King's Daughter, who was to remain an unmarried virgin in order to remain in Royal succession and would adopt a daughter of the King to succeed her. This practice was transferred to the Divine Adoratrice, and the position of God's Wife was then given to the Great Royal Wife to symbolize her status and power, both political and religious as second to the Per-A'Ah. Maatkare held this title until it was lost of Mutnedjmet, wife of Psusennes I

X x X

**Grammar Knight's Note/s:**

Ammut – also spelled Ammit or Ahemait; was a female demon in ancient Egyptian religion with a body that was part lion, hippopotamus and crocodile—the three largest "man-eating" animals known to ancient Egyptians. Her titles included "Devourer of the Dead", "Eater of Hearts", and "Great of Death"

Uraeus - the stylized, upright form of an Egyptian cobra that spits fire onto their enemies

X x X

**Historical** **Note: **As i mentioned before, Egypt was split during this time, hence why it was called the Third Intermediate period, but before Psusennes was official Pharaoh of all, by Neferkare Amenemnisu. Now his reign was short, so there isn't much on him, but the one thing that stood out was during his reign he pardoned the leaders of a rebellion against the High Priest's authority during the 25th year of his predecessor's reign. Now some sources say it was Menkheperre who pardoned the rebel leaders, other say he was the one who stopped the rebellion and Amenemnisu was the one who pardoned the leaders (they'd previously been exiled), more sources went with Amenemnisu being the pardoner so for the sake of this story i went with that and it gave him a reason to not trust the Pharaohs.

Man that's a lot of notes ^^' but you guys know me and my need for historical accuracy!

As always read, review, reply, comment critique ask questions and go nuts! i love researching for this story cause everything seems to fall right into place!

**Next Time:** Timaeus learns the _true_ reason Dartz requested him for this mission and Yugi contemplates his future, and makes an important decision.


	4. Chapter IV: Flight

Sorry this is a little late in posting: I was feeling really sick morning, but I wanted to get this up for everyone so enjoy! I hope your all excited!

Also I've been getting a lot of wonderful comments from everyone but please don't forget to review: I like knowing what it is I'm doing right, especially since this is my first time doing Knightshipping.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot. Historical figures mentioned are all fictional versions of themselves and in no way related to actual human beings. All mentioned places pertain and are based on their real world locations. Yugioh and all its characters belong to Takehashi (and Konami since the Doma arc is Anime Only)

Dedications: As always to Val for being such a wonderful beta and such a loving friend! To Tay, my beloved Hikari, and another good friend, who loves Knight as much as I do. Also to BlackCatLuv for getting me hooked on Knightshpping in the first place all those years go.

As always review, comment, criticize, ask questions and go nuts with your theories and ideas! i love reading them!

* * *

_Chapter IV Flight_

The galleon docked with a rough jerk; the bow collided with the Nile's bank and embedded in the wet sand. The stop was so forceful, even the most experienced sea hands lost their balance. But there was no time for rest.

With the authority of a hard master, Timaeus ordered the entire fleet armored and ready to march. The entire brigade was on the sands awaiting orders in a matter of minutes, and anyone caught staggering felt the bite of his furious tongue. Among themselves, mistakes could be made—even funny ones—but Timaeus commanded perfection and demanded nothing less than the strictest discipline. No one dared follow once he descended the plank, or even humor the possibility of arriving late and sneaking in among the barracks. It was ridiculous to arrive looking anything less than pristine, and idiotic to hide a snicker or even a hint of humor. When it came to his men, Timaeus expected only soldiers. No one escaped the hunter of his gaze, and Timaeus missed nothing.

He descended with heavy, graceful steps. His helm was absent, revealing the flames of his hair and the sharpness of his face defined in full glory. The curve of his lips slit into a smile, but it was an uneasy smile—blaring confidence and pride that, at any moment, could shift to barbed annoyance or the gritted roar of a dragon's fury. His eyebrows furrowed in command and his single emerald eye blazed with a fire his blind one only illuminated. It promised words of glory but warned of strict protocol and the punishment of ignorance.

"Soldiers," his voice boomed. He was no longer their comrade—no longer the fierce Dragon Knight who inspired legends and rumors. No, he was their Trierarch. He was their General and they were only soldiers.

"We march on the temple of the Sun God," he announced in a flat tone that silenced all cheering. "Remember your mission." He stopped and spun. The fire in his emerald eye blazed with command, while his blind side stressed obedience. "We are sent here not as invaders, not as conquerors, not as slavers, but rescuers. We are here to find and capture the priests of the temple only. Draw your weapon only if they draw theirs, attack only if they attack you first, but you are to disarm, not fight. You are to restrain and capture, not kill, and you are not to lay sword or hand on any servant, any temple attendant, nor any innocent. We are to capture the priests and their servants with no bloodshed. We are not to harm any brought under our service. We are Locrian Soldiers. We are dragons of Atlantis and our King has allied himself with the new Pharaoh, and we honor that contract by obeying his will. Our King has ordered us to capture the High Priests and escort them and their allies back to Djanet—alive and _untouched_—and now, I am giving you that same command. Obey it as you would obey me, honor it as you honor your King, and never forget the vow you've taken, the oaths you've made, and _never,_" The words turned harsh and cold, prickling like icy spears—the coldness all the more deadly in the desert. "_Never_ forget that the worst crime of all is dishonor. Dishonor yourself and you dishonor your king and your country, and it is a sin _I_ will not forgive." He paused, allowing the warning to sink.

Some shrank away—their fear enforcing their obedience. Others bore the accusation and met it with respect and understanding. Some grumbled their displeasure; the long months at sea had pumped their blood with adrenaline and a lust only blood could quench, but none could fight Timaeus and leave without scars for their arrogance—scars many of them still wore. Timaeus kept his mask, but internally allowed himself to smile. _Good,_ he thought. _As long as they obey_.

"Go!" he barked, low and harsh. "March!" With a wave of his hand, they were off—punctual under their general's scrutinizing gaze.

"You're insistent on leading the men yourself, then, General?" Dartz asked from the ship.

Timaeus didn't turn around. "They are _my_ men, Your Majesty. They are loyal to Locri and Atlantis, but they will obey only my orders."

"Your sense of honor never ceases to amaze me," Dartz congratulated with pride. He stepped off the ship to Timaeus' surprise. Had he changed his mind about the plan? Timaeus had been reluctant to leave his ship's command in anyone but his own—even his King's—but he refused to send his troops into battle led by anyone but himself.

Instead, Dartz stopped next to him, his gaze focused forward; watching, calculating, but his words were a secret whisper. "It's why I have a special mission for you," the King explained, not once looking at him.

The General understood at once, and continued watching his men. "And what mission is that?" he whispered.

"There's another reason Psusennes requested our aid, and it has nothing to do with his fear of the High Priests. When his sister left the temple, they were forced to leave someone behind. A boy—just barely a man, from what I understand. They call him Yugi."

"Yugi?" Timaeus gaped at the unusual name. It certainly wasn't Coptic or sounded like any other language he recognized. Was it a childhood name of sorts? A Wet name perhaps? "That is an unusual name for Kemet."

"Indeed," Dartz agreed, but did not turn. "His mother was a Singer of Amun. He's trained as a Priest of Mut-Sekhmet at Amun's sister temple, but the boy is not a priest himself. Yet when Mutnedjmet tried to take him with her to Djanet, they denied the request against both their wills. Now why do you think that is?"

Timaeus forced away his surprise when the keys clicked into place. "You think the High Priest and Priestess are using him as a hostage."

"Precisely." Dartz gave the smallest of nods. "He is their father's youngest child and the only child by his second wife, a beloved woman by the family. Even his Great Royal Wife held a place in her heart for her. It is not difficult to see why the High Priest would see use of him. Even if they cannot stop Psusennes from becoming Pharaoh, they can…" he paused to find the right word, "_Negotiate _their role in the desert's affairs a little more vocally."

"Using their own blood as a bargaining chip." No amount of reserve or training could conceal the venom boiling on Timaeus' face. "Disgraceful," he hissed low with disgust and dangerous with rage.

"Indeed." Dartz's face was set in a hard frown. "Only you know of him, Timaeus. I need you to find Yugi and bring him to the ship as soon as it docks on the shore. It is crucial we separate the boy from the priests as soon as possible. From what Psusennes and his lady described, he despises them and has already guessed their motives, but the priests have never been known to surrender easily. Again, Timaeus, only _you_ know of him and you _must_ find him and bring him to the ship. Explanations can be done later. Securing his safety is our priority." Dartz shook as he spoke, his words fractured with urgency.

Timaeus let all his reassurance and honor fill his voice like a soothing touch. "I understand." He nodded and smiled when he sensed his King relaxing. "How will I identify Yugi?"

"His real name is Ujalah," Dartz began with a touch more relaxation. "He is of age, but appears young, and you will know him best." Dartz gave a chuckle. "From how Psusennes describes him, he has hair like yours, but the colors are black, the bangs gold, and he has lotus blue eyes."

"Lotus blue?" Timaeus' brow arched.

"Violet, I believe, is the closest color. He is the only one who has them."

"Very well." Timaeus nodded and stepped down the plank. He tried to keep his focus on the task ahead, but curiosity conquered fresh images in his mind. A boy with hair shaped similar to his, and violet eyes? What would he look like? Surely not the intimidating warrior like himself? A Singer's child, so of course, lovely—and a royal child as well, so naturally, he must share some of Psusennes and his wife's traits. He closed his eyes, his imagination arranging and rearranging pieces and bits of faces like an incomplete puzzle that formed a face, but none seemed accurate.

"Oh, and Timaeus…" The almost-juvenile humor in Dartz's tone, like a child with a secret, stopped him. His thoughts discarded, Timaeus looked over his shoulder, waiting.

"Lady Mutnedjmet also tells me the boy has a fierce personality—in fact, they say he is Mut-Sekhmet reborn, as his mother was. And he _will_ fight you when you meet him. I trust that won't be a problem?"

Timaeus' brow rose high, a look of puzzled curiosity crossed on his face. He knew little of the Kemetic myths, but all knew of Sekhmet—the fearless and terrifying lioness goddess who unified with the divine mother, and became consort of the Sun and embodied her husband's wrath. She was also a ferocious protector and slayer of demons, but as gentle and loving as a mother with her cubs. Timaeus pondered the new information; a lovely boy of royal blood with a loving heart, but who was also a spitfire?

"Not at all, my king," he finally said, and marched across the sands to join his men. An intrigued smile slit his face. "Not at all."

X

He ran until his feet burned. Through the labyrinth of the Hypostyle Hall, past the domineering walls of pylons and colossus statues of past kings and the scrutinizing eyes of Gods... Servants fled from his path, lesser hem-netjer called his name, but Yugi ignored their concern and curious questions.

His heart beat desperately against the bars of his ribs, until its wings were bloody like a savage beast in a cage. His arms pumped at his sides, propelling his body forward. His feet burned like every step was on shards of broken pottery. His body ached, his lungs burned and words escaped his throat in heavy breathless wheezing. A face full of strong light almost blinded him when he entered the forecourt and found himself dwarfed by the watchful gaze of lion-bodied sphinxes donning the heads of rams and past kings.

He didn't stop. He couldn't stop. Not when he had finally taken flight. Not now that he'd passed the monstrous walls that had become his prison. Once, the domineering structures had been grand accomplishments depicting the triumphs of his ancestors. Now, the massive walls of sandstone reminded him of impenetrable bars—a permanent domineering reminder that he was a captive. That his fate was no longer his own.

With the heat and wind of the desert on his face and Ra's light on his back, he ran through the forecourt until the gapped wall faded and became a distant mirage. The long imprisonment he'd felt since Mut's departure became a faded memory he could almost pretend wasn't real.

His legs finally gave out, and his heart burst. He collapsed outside the final pylon and braced himself in a shadow of stone and allowed himself to just lie there. Lungs dry and throat parched—his breathing raspy and heavy, he couldn't even pause without choking on air. The scorching sand burned and scrapped his palms and legs, and yet he felt invigorated. The wall behind him stood solitary and disappointed—its power lost.

Free. Yugi's heart fluttered slightly, like a baby bird testing flight for the first time. Was he free? Could he be free? How long would it last? Surely the Divine Servants would send the hem-netjer to fetch him soon and begin the cycle all over again?

Unless, he ran.

It was ridiculous to think and idiotic to consider. On the wrong side of the Nile and isolated by the desert, the House of Life of Amun was a literal and symbolic paradise. A single oasis among an endless stretch of barren wasteland—scorching sun stronger than all Kemet, tiny blades of sand coarse enough to tear flesh from bones in a sandstorm. Like Amun-Ra's divinity rising from the primeval sea of chaos. Even if he survived, the massive saltwater sea barricaded the land from invaders. Hiking up the Nile would be just as pointless; it'd be weeks before he reached the Delta—if the hot sun, river crocodiles, and desert cats didn't kill him before dehydration and hunger did. The only possible hope was Waset.

The royal capital stood mockingly on the other side of the river, but the annual flood had filled the canals, creating a clear path from the temple to the capital. The hem-netjer would never find him there. He could lose them among the streets and get an apprenticeship or a job as a healer—even perform on the streets as a dancer. His mother had taught him plenty. He could survive, perhaps even stow away on a ship headed north and bribe the captain to drop him off at Djanet. Waset meant freedom, hope, choices: everything he'd ever wanted—at the cost of swimming across the crocodile-infested waters of the Nile, if the impossibly-strong current didn't sweep him out to sea. And with the recent ankh flood, its shadows were more profound, creating the perfect hunting ground for river monsters.

It was impossible to accomplish—foolish to even consider and suicidal to risk. Yet, as he pushed himself to his knees and stood on wobbly legs that found their strength, the risks seemed tempting.

Even now, the scorching sand and fierce sun, the dry sheltering wind—its own mixture of desert heat and chilled Nile air—ripped away the countless layers of expectation and obedience heaped upon his iron will-like heavy chains.

"Free?" he questioned, testing the word on his tongue. It felt foreign and strange—an aspect that didn't really exist. "Free." He said it again, and this time his heart fluttered. "Free," he said the word again like he could claim it. "Free!"

A determined dream on the verge of becoming an actuality.

Waset stood proud and welcoming on the far shore. The precinct's once-intimidating walls and its vicious shouts were nothing more than the fading of a forgotten nightmare.

He could do it, he realized: run away and leave. Mut-Sekhmet's precinct was only a short run away. He could wait until the sacred barks sailed up the canal bringing the Singers of Amun for their next assignment. He could sneak onto the boat, or dye his hair and hide among them. No one would suspect him. Or he might not even have to wait that long. Food and offerings were brought every day; it'd be easy to hide his hair, veil his face, and slip in with the servants. The hem-netjer would be so busy looking for him among the massive complex, it would take them days to search everywhere—let alone all the nooks and crannies he'd memorized from games of hide-and-seek as a child. His tutors had wasted hours looking for him, and he'd only been a child then. Outwitting them now would be child's play. Possibilities swam in his brain. Schemes with no hope of failure calculated and sorted—replaced by another if the current one had even a single fault.

He could do it, and it would be easy. He could do it.

Knees buckled weekly, legs quaking like wet papyrus, his heart hammered with a terrible feeling—and suddenly, he was overcome by a nameless dread.

He _could_ have done it. He _could_ have escaped his captures long ago and started a new life. Yet here he was, alone on the sphinx canal shore just outside Kemet's most sacred House of Life. And as difficult as the Divine Servants had made the last few months with their strict rules, controlling schedules, and outrageous demands… it was still his home.

His father had lived and ruled there—had made great accomplishments and commanded vast legions. It was where he'd lived with his wife and children and raised Yugi's siblings, blessing them in the divinity of the Gods and delighting their dreams with stories of the histories inscribed there. It was where his father had met his mother. Where she'd trained as a hem-netjer of Sekhmet, healed the sick, and delighted the Gods with her golden voice and skilled lyre strings. Where Yugi had been a toddler and his mother delighted him for hours by dancing and singing songs, and letting him shake menat beads and bang sistrums. He'd laughed for hours at the fascinating sounds. Where he and his siblings had spent the hottest afternoons splashing and swimming in the sacred spring, and where he and his mother would watch the lotuses rise from the waters. And his father would seat him in his lap like his own personal throne, and for those delightful moments, he'd felt like a Per-A'Ah, too. His father, while playing with his tresses, would always say the Gods had even grown him a crown. And Pas joked that they could even be Per-A'Ahs together.

But there were sad times, too. When his father had left, and his mother's patients didn't survive. Two had been Menkheperre's predecessors—his older brothers. Yugi wondered if Henuttawy had ever truly forgiven Isetemkheb for being unable to save them. There had been spats and fights among them as well. He remembered once when Menkheperre had refused to speak to him because he preferred the senat game Pas had given him rather than the scribe tools he had. Back when Yugi was a child and wanted to play all day instead of study. Or when he'd swiped a pomegranate from the offering table as a mischievous and hungry six-summer babe and Maatkare had scolded him to tears—only for Mut to strike her proud sister for being so harsh with one so young and ignorant. Yugi never stole from the table again, but only because Mut explained they were gifts for the Gods and they'd be upset if Yugi took them, just as he'd be if she had taken his toys. Maatkare had never forgiven her sister for that, but it wasn't because of the slap; they'd been family. There was love among the walls, and even when he'd left to accompany his mother or join his father and brother, he'd always been excited to come home.

_Home_. This place had been _home_. When had it become a prison? When had those loving memories etched into stone and water become impenetrable bars and tedious chains? When had it ceased being a paradise to escape _to _and become a cold empty fortress to escape _from_?

He knew. Even if he chose not to admit it, he knew even as his legs crumbled and he sank to his knees in the shadow of a colossus statue. His arm and shoulder braced against a huge stone slab supporting its base. The rough sandstone felt warm and smooth beneath his cheek. The Nile's warm current blew through his bangs and he could almost imagine familiar figures massaging his scalp. He turned to the statue, knowing the face even with the skull too high and directly in Amun-Ra's brightness to see clearly. He stood tall and powerful; his jaw strong, his eyes sharp, his nose curt, and full lips carved into a neutral line. Firm arms chiseled in to perfect, smooth muscles folded across his chest—a flail in one strong hand, and an Osiris staff in the other. Broad stone shoulders outlined a powerfully-built chest tapering to masculine hips. His legs were long and powerful. He was naked save for a nemes crown of sovereignty adorning his brow and a permanently-styled shenti. Not a man, not a Per-A'Ah, but a God immortalized in stone, Pinedjem I looked every inch the indomitable Divine Servant of Amun and the commanding ruler of the desert he'd been in life. But the eyes were cold, the smile bland, and the hands solitary—it was a mere shadow of the man behind the God. The brave, loyal, loving man Yugi had known and loved.

"Papa," he choked and crumbled. His upper half draped weakly at his father's feet. His cheeks pinched and hot tears pricked his eyes before overflowing and rolling down his cheeks in hot streams. "Mama." His body wracked with heavy sobs and he did nothing to hold them back. He hugged the slab. Weak fingers clenched the engraving of her name and two others beneath Pinedjem's cartouche. His weak arms were the only things keeping him up. When they could no longer hold him, he let his body slide to the ground. He lied against the slab, crying loudly and brokenly, and with no regard for who saw him.

He hadn't cried when she died. Not when she'd been smiling so strongly despite her pain and stroking his cheek with her fragile fingers. They'd called it irony; that the incarnation of Mut-Sekhmet, herself, could not chase away her own demon of pestilence. Except… it wasn't a demon or disease that afflicted her. No, it was her heart that killed her. And it was its unwillingness to repair when Pinedjem died. He'd cried then, alone and broken, when they'd transported her body to the burial chamber of the Per-A'Ah. And he did so now.

Except now he didn't have Mut's loving embrace to dry his tears or Pas' reassuring smile and comforting arms, or even his mother's final warning that he'd always be safe and loved with his siblings. Menkheperre and Maatkare would never be the Menk and Maat he adored as a child. Pas and Mut would never return from Djanet, the exiled capital of the marsh. The family they once were would never cease its perpetual split.

No, Amun's House of Life was no longer home, and it never would be again. But would Waset be any better?

He rolled over and pressed his bare back against the warm, rough slab. His feet sprawled beneath him. He stared at the white city fading like ripples in the wave of heat—so close, he could walk to it. Inviting, mocking like a mirage just before it disappeared, and fate had a good laugh. Between them, the Nile rose and fell, and waves roughened with the annual flood. Even the canal tossed and rolled sea foam upon the sands as dangerous as the ocean. It was a formidable force during the driest of Kemet's summers, but just after the flood… he'd never survive the swim.

But if he could just board a ship… find a way to travel north to the Delta, to Djanet—to Pas and Mut...

Was it worth the risk?

He closed his eyes and stood up, walking to the edge of the forecourt. His options weighed against the other like the heart against Ma'at's feather on the scales of Anubis. Possibilities and scenarios categorized against the faults and flaws. Then his mind erased them both, and his heart and mind had their answer. Yugi opened his eyes and exhaled—and with the movement, he expelled all his doubts and fears. His decision made, he turned to take those final steps and into a new freedom, a freedom that could only come from making a decision _he_ chose.

A shadow appeared out the corner of his eye when he turned. At first, it was so faint, Yugi thought it no more than a trick of the heat, but his curiosity was unsatisfied with the brushed-off answer. He narrowed his eyes and held a hand to block the sun.

It rolled across the desert—a narrow, horizontal shape like a low-riding hill wiggling in a heat wave but it was too straight, and appeared… bigger?

Yugi squinted harder, trying to read shapes through the heat, but all he could make out was a single, large line. But now he could see that it was the color of the Nile and light bounced off it, reflective and temporarily blinding. Suddenly, another shape rolled into view—floating across the Nile like a low cloud, but the shape was triangular like a massive white, one-dimensional pyramid. It caught Yugi's attention, and immediately, he recognized that they were sails.

His heart leapt into his chest. Was it a supply ship? But why was it coming from the north rather than across from Waset? Had Pas and Mut returned for him after all? Hope fluttered in his chest, but present experience warned him against rash joy. Apprehension reminded him to be cautious, and his sharp eyes quickly saw why.

Its sails were too large and triangular—its neck large and bulky—and the rising foredeck was too thick to be the long, slender galleys of the royal barks. This wasn't a royal ship. Or even a Kemetic ship.

Sharp eyes caught the seal on the flag and Yugi's heart dropped to his stomach like a stone in a well. Breath froze in his throat. Shock and terror rooted his feet to the ground like his body was made of stone.

He recognized that crest. The _world _knew that crest: the ferocious single-eyed dragon the color of the sea, with a sword in its mouth against an Atlantis blue background_._ Only the Dragon Knights of Atlantis—the King's most strategic and ruthlessly loyal Generals carried a dragon as their symbol—but only one bore a green dragon with a single-scarred eye: Timaeus of Locri, the fiercest and most powerful Dragon Knight in Atlantis.

_Now_ Yugi recognized the purpose of the ships. _Now_ he understood what the land shape was and why it was growing bigger… no, not bigger, _closer_, and _who_ exactly was leading it. Bile rose in Yugi's throat. His heart ceased to beat, seized by horror and fear, and his entire body shook with shocked despair. Timaeus of Locri, the worst of Atlantis' generals, was leading his army right to the capital of Kemet's House of Life.

Atlantis was invading Egypt.

* * *

Yup, I ended it there ^^

Tim's back! I gotta say i LOVE writing Timaeus, he's just so much fun and its so much fun balancing his personality, especially now that he's after Yugi and out little one has perked his curiously ;)

Speaking of which I'm very curious to see everyone's opinions on Yugi's decision making ;)

Don't think there was any knew vocab this chapter but If you have any questions please feel free to ask ^^

X x X

**Grammar Knight's Note/s:**

Ma'at – Egyptian goddess of truth and justice; her primary role in Egyptian mythology dealt with the weighing of souls (also called the weighing of the heart) that took place in the underworld, Duat. Her feather was the measure that determined whether the souls (considered to reside in the heart) of the departed would reach the paradise of afterlife successfully.

Anubis - Protector of the dead and embalming; also the Egyptian god of funerals and death

Bark – also "barque" or "barc"; a type of sailing vessel with three or more masts having the fore- and mainmasts rigged square and only the mizzen (the aftermost mast) rigged fore-and-aft; a general name given to small ships.

X x X

**_Next Time:_** Atlantis has invaded Egypt and Yugi makes a split-second decision that will change his life. Meanwhile, Timaeus' invasion goes off without a hitch, but he can't help but notice that someone is _missing_.


	5. Chapter V: Invasion

Decided to post this one early ;) This will be my last chapter before my last summer class starts next week YAY! Thank goodness I got at least 5 chapters typed up in advance ;) But it means I will have to start using a writing schedule to stay on top of everything (Phew) hope I can pull it off.

As always read, review, comment, critique and ask questions! I REALLY want to read everyone's comments. I'm having so much fun writing this story! it just flows and comes so naturally to me! I think cause it combines a lot of the ideas I've wanted to portray in other stories just never fit ;) And Timaeus is just a joy to write!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot. Depictions of historical characters and places are all fiction and I in no way claim they are real. Characters belong to Takehashi and Koonami.

Enjoy!

* * *

_Chapter V: Invasion_

It was against his own will. He could pretend the decision was made for him**. **That he had no choice and this was the only way, but he knew that was a lie. Nothing he rationalized could or would convince him that he was doing the right thing. _Right_, he chuckled, dark and bitter. There was a dry irony in that obnoxious word.

And yet here he was—as if the morning's breakthroughs were only a faded dream. And that was the most painful irony of all.

Yugi could've cursed the Gods for their cruel games and insane plot twists—he could just picture them snickering in the Afterlife, weaving fates and hopes with the careless laughter of gossiping seamstresses. Only his devoted upbringing and respect for his divine parents kept his tongue behind his teeth. It would've been hypocritical of him anyway. He'd made his choice, and he'd known the answer the second he realized it was an army marching towards Waset and not a single ship. It didn't matter how much he detested it, it didn't matter how both his brain and heart knew it was the wrong choice, it didn't matter that it would cost him everything: it was _his _choice and that was all that mattered.

Yugi stormed through the pillars of Hypostyle Hall and hollered just loud enough for his voice to echo, "Get out of here now!"

Servants and hem-netjer alike stopped and stared at him with bewildered faces, torn halfway between confusion and shock. "We have to leave!" he warned, "Atlantis' army is coming!"

"Atlantis!" A servant dropped the tray she'd been carrying and scrunched her fingers to her cheeks in horrified shock.

"Yes!" Yugi confirmed, nodding and frantic. "They're coming across the desert as we speak."

"Atlantis!?" a scribe repeated, terrified nails sinking into the still-drying stele he'd just created in desperate comfort.

"We have to get out now!" Yugi ordered.

"What lies are this?" a hard voice spat.

Yugi spun around—violet eyes blazing with rage and glared at Siam so fiercely, the bullish man flinched. "You accuse me of false words!?" Yugi screeched, low and dangerous. "You, who lines your belly with substance while others starve?!"

"Enough of your lies!" Siam shoved forward, his voice full of cowardly triumph rather than any actual conviction. "Causing trouble for the Divine Servants, are you?" he accused, harsh and derisive. "We all heard your biting words to their kindness."

Yugi wanted to protest, but one glance at the steadying calmness on their waning faces, and he swallowed a retort. Even the most paranoid of the temple advocates relaxed their stressed shoulders.

They reminded Yugi so much of his hopeful, innocent self. So naïve and overconfident that things would work out in his favor that Yugi wanted to scream**. **He wanted to shake them, throttle them, hurt them before someone else did, and far worse than he would.

He spun to Siam with savage eyes and biting words. "You think I'd lie about something so severe?" He thought what Pas would say in that incident, born leader he was, and imagined his proud and encouraging smile. "So you choose to believe my words are some nasty tricky rather than accept the possibility of the truth? What purpose do I have in speaking such a lie? What reason? If all I wanted was to cause trouble for the Divine Servants, why would I involve the whole precinct? Why would I claim the world's greatest nation is coming to invade us were it just a trick? Why would I claim something so outlandish and cruel unless it was the truth? Would you really risk the lives and safety of everyone in this House if you were wrong? Ha!" He gestured to the crowd with an arm, his laugh short and sharp, and his words spoken with the authority of a king.

Muttering began to fill the walls, echoing against stone; even Siam no longer looked confident. Yugi just stared at him, smile curling when Siam cowered under the sharpness of his glare. "You've always been a fool Siam, but even I never thought you a coward to this extent."

"Be silent!" Siam shot forward and struck him hard across the cheek. The unexpectedness, more than the force, sent Yugi spiraling to the ground. Siam laughed victoriously, the way the local bully in town laughed after picking on a small animal. "I've had enough of your rebellion! When our Divine master and mistress hear of this—"

"What?" Yugi snapped, standing and made no effort to nurse the growing bruise on his cheek. "You _still_ don't believe me?" Yugi stomped forward and Siam's mouth snapped closed with a click of his teeth. "Go outside and check! Though chances are, you'll be dead before you return."

Siam stared in horror. "Y-Y-You dare?!"

"Yes, I dare!" Yugi shouted. "Because it's true, we need to evacuate now!"

"What's going—Ujalah?" Yugi span around where Menkheperre and Maatkare both stood in the threshold—the commanding tone softening to hopeful surprise. They stared at him with blank expressions rather than smiles; some awful mixture between happiness and victorious certainty.

"Good to see you've come to your senses and return—" He reached a hand towards the boy but Yugi wrenched his arm away, glaring—a silent gesture that he'd yet to be forgiven. It was cruel, and Yugi knew it, but any other action would've given them hope and that would've been even crueler.

"The Atlantis army is invading the temple. Timaeus' ship is on its way as we speak," Yugi announced, his voice dangerously grave and with no trace of humor.

"This is lunacy!" Siam screeched.

"Enough!" Menkheperre shouted, silencing all, but his expression was one of annoyance and anger. It was all Yugi needed to know that it was a mistake to come back, even if it did clear his conscience.

He was still glaring at the Divine Servant when a terrible heart-wrenching scream broke the silence. A shaking servant girl pointed a trembling finger at the crowd clamored in the direction she pointed, where they stood stupid in the threshold and frozen in curious shock. Yugi shoved his way to the front, his small stature weaving between the forest of bodies. He barely registered the sight when a thunderous crash shook the walls. Dust rained overhead, stinging Yugi's eyes. Several people dropped, screaming and covering their heads. Another high-pitched scream echoed, and Yugi saw why.

The bow of a massive ship dominated Sphinx Avenue, then rammed into the gap of the massive sandstone pylon. The nose tore through the sands of the forecourt, splashing up canal water like a mini wave. The force sent a second shock reverberating through the temple and another rain of dust from overhead when the Hypostyle Hall walls shook. Screams echoed and occupants ducked to their knees, arms shielding their heads.

"We're under attack!" Someone screamed the words, the trigger that erupted in chaos. The spell of curiosity broken, fear sank in and panic soon followed. Someone crashed into Yugi and sent him flying; he slammed onto his back and curled into a ball as terrified, trembling bodies ran screaming in a stampede of panicked terror.

Yugi crawled to his feet, catching a glance at a temple servant crying in the corner; dirt-caked dress and hair, her tunic was stained pink where a shoulder wound bled shallowly. Her hands obscured her wet face, her lips the color of a bruise. To his shock, neither Menkheperre nor Maatkare had moved. Menkheperre just stared forward, face blank and looking foolish while Maatkare was shaking more from disbelief than fear or shock. They just stood and stared looking foolish, as if not understanding. Not quite able to grasp the reality, even as it happened right in front of them. Unable to accept, for all their power in Kemet and their hatred for the Per-A'Ah, that they would be powerless and broken by a far more powerful third party.

They couldn't accept that they had been attacked first—that they were truly being invaded.

"What do we do?!" A hem-netjer with a bruised face and a cut arm pleaded over the broken sobs of girls hiding in the corners. All looked desperate and scared.

"Attend to yourselves," Maatkare told the wounded, but she spoke dazedly and lacking all her previous authority.

Yugi shivered, eyes falling once more on the invading army. Soldiers poured from the ship like a shining flood, more savage than the Nile. One shining figure preceded the rest. He led, not marched, and they followed—no one dared pass him. Unlike his men, he wore no helmet and exposed his face in all its grotesque beauty to his victims.

Yugi didn't need to be told who he was. Lines of description from rumors and stories painted a clear image: wild hair blazing black like a giant fire with highlights that shifted from the deepest of blue-violets to the most striking blue. A silver forelock framed his chiseled face: sharp with angles and a strong chin and a sinister, singular smirk that morphed into a unique set of eyes—one wide, angular, and bright with emerald fire, and the other perpetually shut with a harsh scar indented across from brow to nose like the claw mark of some hideous creature.

Yugi's heart stopped beating and breath froze in this throat. Even though his thoughts were muted in his mind, he'd known it was coming—known _who_ was coming, but faced with the happenings, he was unable to accept the sheer reality of it.

Conscious thought abandoned him like a helpless cub left to fend for itself. His subconscious mind, sensing danger, screamed at him to run but his treacherous body betrayed him. Another scream broke the silence and Yugi raced from the Hall.

Having lost the advantage of surprise, the soldiers fractured and so did the House of Life, but while Amun singers and hem-netjers, servant girls and God's slaves ran screaming in chaotic patterns, the soldiers separated into ordered fractions—blocking escape routes and circling additional housing. The ship blocking the canal, the barracks sealing the outer pylons and the soldiers infiltrating the structure—suddenly, Yugi realized their intent.

The capital was never their prize. It only took Yugi a fraction of a second to realize that it was Amun's House of Life. His heart and body were in revolt. His limbs were light, ready to flee, but his heart was paralyzed by fear and the screams of horror. A handful of hem-netjer and servants darted past him; some panicked and screeching with terror, others silent and covered in dust. Girls and scribe apprentices were huddled on the floor, staring at him with wet eyes. He wasn't following the crowd deeper into the confining halls of the House. They could hide, but they'd be found and they'd be trapped. Escape was impossible. Too late to evacuate, all Yugi could do was run.

Fear moved his feet, his heart hammering, desperate and hopeless. Wetness pricked his eyes. Prayers and pleads that didn't reach his voice echoed in his mind. Prayers to his fathers. Pleads to his mother. _Please, _came the desperate plea his voice was too weak to repeat as he ran blindly through the precinct. _Please help me. _

Suddenly, his feet became entangled and he stumbled face-first into wetness. Panic seized him at first, but once he surfaced, his mind cleared. Reeds tangled at his feet, and lotus blossoms floated about him, spinning like little fairies dancing on the surface of the water. They spiraled in a single direction, beckoning Yugi to follow them. He obeyed, and then he saw it. The southern gate next to Amenhophis II's temple just adjacent to the Sacred Lake, where an avenue of sphinxes led to another precinct—and the House of Life of Mut-Sekhmet.

His mother's Goddess whom she served so faithfully.

The ferocious and fiercely protective lioness who his father praised every morning with gifts of wine and blood, and prayed to for strength and the protection of his family.

And it was open. No soldiers blocked its path or occupied its entrance. Would they even think to look for him there? The hem-netjer wouldn't. Why would Atlantis soldiers, naïve to its importance to Kemet's religion even think to go there?

With a prayer of hope to his deceased parents, Yugi fled as fast as his calloused feet could run. The hot sand stung the soles with fierce blisters, but the sacred waters had worked their magic and suddenly, he felt lighter. The wind blew south, offering a small push. He could almost see the ram-headed sphinxes bow their heads in approval. The House of Life shined in the light at the end of the avenue, beckoning like a faded mirage with none of the heart-wrenching disappointment when it revealed itself false.

Soon, he found himself under the watchful gaze of hundreds of Sekhmet statues, lioness-headed, and both her ferocity and loyalty immortalized in perfectly carved granite. Instantly, Yugi felt a wave of relief and maternal protectiveness wash over him. He found himself swaying into Mut's House of Life and collapsed to his knees at the base of her statue.

Her precinct was small compared to Amun's; only a small square by comparison and contained only a single House of Life and its heart dominated by Isheru, the enormous crescent-shaped spring glittering like lapis lazuli. In her temple which her very _ka_ called home, she stood commanding and daunting in the sculpted body of a woman, an ankh in her hand, a vulture headdress bejeweled her hair and a double-crown of sovereignty adored her head. Her face, the flawless beauty of a woman: her eyes kind, her smile warm, her hands clever, and all around her the granite statues of her lioness alter-ego.

At its heart stood the Goddess herself, the heavenly mother, who embodied a mother's love: gentle, warm and doting, but the fiercest of the earth's forces. The regent of kingship, protector of women and mothers, and lover of children… At her fiercest, she was Sekhmet, the lion goddess: ruthless in battle and dangerous to the Per-A'Ah's enemies, but fiercely protective of his allies and family, and a healer who brought with her the wrath of the sun and the demons of pestilence that served her faithfully and fled without question when her priests invoked her to command them. Her duality won her the heart of Amun-Ra, Kemet's Imperial God, and mother of the moon, and only she would be his consort—the throne at his side was hers alone.

Yugi collapsed at her feet, exhausted and out of breath, but immediately overcome with relief, as if the wind sweeping through his hair were the goddess' loving hands. He pressed his forehead to her feet and whispered a prayer of thanks and a praise of solace. Her protection and love fluttered throughout every inch of the House, and he felt it in his bones… his heart… his soul.

Free.

His heart jittered like an agile cat's: light and alive with hope and promise. Free.

His earlier ponderings has brought it into fruition, but in the aftermath of a war—having escaped capture and evaded a battle—it felt alive. True. Real.

He was free—only the distant hope of a foreign dream that tittered on the edge of possibility. It was a real thing now. It was real, and it was happening. His years of hiding and daydreaming, and fate had won him the most unlikely chance of freedom.

And he'd taken it.

It wasn't over, of course; there was still work to be done. He'd have to gather supplies and wait out the Atlantis invasion for however long it took. He'd have to board the bark to Waset and from there, perhaps join a caravan to Djanet, or get a ride on a supply bark or a merchant galley. He could dance and play instruments and when asked, he could sing. He'd be useful. He'd even earn his keep and do something. He'd find his brother and sister. He'd decide his future. Perhaps he could be Pas' ambassador and see all those exotic places he'd dreamed about. He'd join Mut as a Hem-netjer. She was Divine Priestess of Mut, he _would_ come again. Or he could travel with a caravan through Kemet and beyond, as a dancer, or a doctor as the Sekhmet priests were called outside of Kemet.

He had choices. He had options. And he was just beginning to make them real with such passion and hope that, in that moment, he was certain all his dreams would come true.

And they might have—had he not been followed.

X X X

Timaeus was a warrior seasoned for battle, and in the short time he'd been trained in its service, he had mastered the arts of war—and its horrors. Having witnessed the massacre of blood and death all his life and not just in war, he prided himself on his men's swift work. The temples were emptied and even the deepest bowl and darkest corners of Amun's massive halls had been discarded and emptied. It wasn't elegant and it wasn't slaughter, but it was quick and bloodless.

From each corner, his soldiers returned ushering slaves in simple shenti, girls and singers in fine silks, and priests donning fancy headdresses and robed of heavy pleats. Their hands were bound and gathered in the forecourt where Dartz was waiting. Physicians waited on the ship, unmoving without the order.

Timaeus scanned the bodies. No casualties, but a slave boy had a scraped cheek and shoulder. A girl had her hair tussled and blood on her thighs. Seeing her, he walked over and knelt in front of her. She shivered when he stopped, and made no effort to stop her tears. As gently as possible, he asked, "Are you injured?" She stopped shaking and looked up in surprise, and he smiled gently and gestured to the blood. She blushed and wiped it away, shaking her head no. Next to her, a soldier carried an unconscious boy with a strip of his cape wrapped around his head. Red splotched from a gash on his forehead, and she said she'd been holding it in her lap. Timaeus nodded and made a mental note to have the physician check her report of findings only to him.

A bald priest with a fat stomach threw himself at Timaeus' feet and pleaded for mercy, even offering all in exchange for his freedom. Timaeus shuddered in revulsion and hooked his toe under the man's chin and kicked him away, not so quietly calling him a worthless coward.

They'd surrendered without a fight. Only the High Priest and Priestess refused. The Priestess had attacked him in a blind rage, but he'd easily dodged her blade. He'd drawn his sword, but not unsheathed it, and slammed the butt onto her hand and she dropped her weapon. He'd slammed his sword into her thigh and she faltered, grabbing her wrist, he'd had her hands bound before her knees hit the floor. But she didn't go quietly. Even restrained, she kicked, screamed and thrashed until her beaded wig flopped off, revealing cropped hair. She was still damning him and threatening Kemetic curses upon his house and descendants when he'd had his men drag her outside.

The High Priest had been less of a challenge. Braver than his sister, he didn't hide. He'd attacked Timaeus face-to-face: honorable, but foolish. Timaeus slammed the sword into his belly and the man gasped and slumped over Timaeus' blade. He dropped when Timaeus pulled away his sword, momentarily stunned that he was still alive. Only when his hands were bound did he see that Timaeus' sword was still sheathed in its protective leather.

The Dragon General searched each group, scrutinized each face, but none bore flame-shaped black hair in three colors or violet eyes, not even blue. They were a monochromatic bunch, all with black hair, dyed or natural, while bald priests donned cloth headdresses or covered their baldness with beaded wigs; and their eyes were a boring palette of gold, brown, or black. It was like waking up and suddenly realizing you'd lost the ability to process and see colors.

"Is this everyone?" he demanded, displeased and unimpressed.

"Sir!" The soldiers stood straight. "We've evacuated all the lesser temples. Men are still searching the larger structures."

"That doesn't answer my question," Timaeus barked, brows furrowing and eyes narrowing to slits. "Is. This. Everyone?"

The soldiers remained stoic. "We are certain."

Timaeus whirled to the High Priest and Priestess and caught them whispering. Realizing they'd been caught, the conspirators silenced and shoved away, shivering under the intensity of Timaeus' glare. Timaeus marched over and dropped to one knee.

"I will ask you only once," his glare was mild, but his smile and voice were victorious, almost mocking. "Where is the boy called Ujalah?"

The Priestess spat at his face and the Priest elbowed her harshly, but the deed was done. His suspicions were confirmed.

"I see," Timaeus smile curled. "So he's here, then? Thank you for that confirmation—however inelegant."

The Priestess seethed with rage and looked at him with hate in her eyes, but there was no less rage or hate when she looked away, mumbling furious insults to herself.

"I'll ask again." He glared down at the bound High Priest who met his eyes, stoic and neutral, but he was not as mastered in the art as Timaeus. Deep in the black pools, Timaeus saw the seething rage of defeat, the devastated frustration of failed work and the sheer annoyance of wasted planning and the absolute end to such carefully-plotted and perfect scheming. Timaeus' eyes betrayed nothing.

He let all his brutality and rage bleed into his voice. "Where. Is. Yugi?"

The name, more than anything else, caught him off guard. Timaeus knelt and met the High Priest's eyes and forced the High Priest to stare at him.

"I don't know," he admitted, defeated and furious at himself because of it. "We lost him in the chaos."

Timaeus pulled away. He checked the crowd again, then his soldiers. All were accounted for—except two. "Where are Haga and Rex?" The demand was quick and clean.

The soldiers looked among themselves, just now noticing their missing comrades. No one answered.

Timaeus roared with a sharpening, "Well?!"

"They left to investigate the southern gate, General," one of them spoke up. "There was a temple there and several outer walls. They volunteered."

Timaeus arched a brow. Haga and Rex were boys more interested in glory and blood and playing soldier rather than the actual responsibility of it, and their mischief had earned them Timaeus' scorn many times before. He trusted them to investigate a temple like he trusted a leech not to suck his blood.

He strolled to the dais steps and found the south pylons in the distance. Sharp eyes scanned the lakes to the so-called temple and the avenue of sphinxes until a faded structure caught his attention. In the heat, he could almost mistake it for a mirage because it was so distant, but his instincts taught him better.

Beyond the parallel row of ram-headed lions, he saw the outline of a large wall and beyond it, the faint structure of a house, more ornament than some of the smaller complexes here and large enough to house something grand. He stepped towards it and felt the wind roaring in his ear, rough and loud like the warning call of a mother lioness to an intruder.

"Tell me," he looked at the High Priest when we spoke, but addressed the crowd as a whole. "What lies beyond there?" The casual tone was that of a foreigner asking for directions and the Priest growled with rage. The rest bowed their heads in obedient silence.

"The Precinct of Mut-Sekhmet," a soft voice spoke. Timaeus blinked and spun towards it. The girl he'd spoken to earlier shrank away under his gaze but continued speaking. "It is the House of Life dedicated to her Divine Heavenly Regent Mut-Sekhmet, consort to his Divine—"

Timaeus listened as she listed the titles, but one caught his ears.

"Sekhmet," he breathed the word, testing it on his tongue. A smile slit his face.

"Thank you, my dear," he bowed low and spoke so graciously that, for a moment, she forgot who he was and blushed.

"Take them to the ship," Timaeus ordered his men. "See that the wounded are attended to and place everyone else in the holds." He paused and met the glares of the priest and priestess, then ordered evenly, "Take them to the brig. And tell His Highness to meet me at Mut's precinct."

With that, he marched away and started through the many pylons of the south entrance. The soldiers looked at him with confusion and curiosity. Questions formed on their lips but none of them spoke. Silently, they ushered their captives towards the ship. Physicians and medics arrived to treat the wounded. _Like the Priestess of Sekhmet_, he thought, recalling Dartz's explanation. His knowledge of Kemetic religion was limited, but he knew enough about Mut-Sekhmet to put the pieces together.

In Kemetic stories, if he remembered correctly, Sekhmet was the goddess of destruction and war. She was the sun's fire, the instrument of his vengeance and the embodiment of his wrath. But she was not unkind, nor was she wholly savage. She is battle and war: it was she who drew the blood from the fallen in battle so they may die peacefully. She, who chased pestilence from her children and summoned its demons upon her enemies. She was the desert's heat who squashed invaders under the harshness of Kemet's sun. Her blessings were protection in battle and the ferocity of the slaughter, but also the liquid life of each warrior slain in war, each child spared death from disease. Her temples were few, but her cult so dominant that when the capital changed, she moved with it. Her rituals were daily to placate her rage and her festivals were held in annual bouts of drunken wildness mimicking how Amun-Ra mollified her bloodlust against disrespectful men. And when her rage was placated and her blood lust sedated, she became Mut.

Mut was the Lady of the Heavens, the divine, doting, mother associated with the waters from which everything is born. She was the vulture who was conceived by the wind herself. It was she who filled wombs, protected children from danger, and filled women with strength and in her was all the tender affection and ferocious protection of mothers. For nothing was fiercer than a mother's love. Rulers worshipped her as their heavenly Queen who chased away shadows and filled the night with stars. Her temples were less and her worship more subtle, like a mother's watchful eye after her children were all grown and she sent them off into the world with words of encouragement and the promise that they were never alone. Her true temple, it was believed, housed her _ka_ in its heart surrounded by statues with the face of her more ferocious self.

Mut and Sekhmet: duality at its finest. The duality of all women, of all mothers, and of all warriors: one, the doting and loving inspirer; the other, a fierce and savage protector.

He had no illusions that Yugi would seek shelter there.

* * *

Hope the goddess description isn't too wordy. I did a lot of editing on them and they actually looked a lot shorter on word.

But its all set up now...anyone wanna guess what's gonna happen next? I guarantee it won't be what your thinking ;)

**Historical Note:** The Precinct of Mut is connected to the Precinct of Amun via Amun's south gate through an avenue of sphinxes. Sadly, it's not open to the public (though I'd love to see it one day if they do) but unlike Karnak, it contains only Mut's house and a HUGE crescent-shaped sacred lake famous for its beautiful water. And the Statue within the temple is believed to house Mut's Ka or soul. Also, during the New Kingdom, Sekhmet became associated with Mut and thus Amun's consort, when Ra was associated with Amun. In fact Mut's temple is flooded and outlined with Sekhmet statues. In a retelling of Sekhmet's myth, after Ra placated her bloodlust, she became united with Mut, Hathor, Ma'at depending on the story, but she become associated with Mut, because Sekhmet's cult and worshiped moved with the capital, thus when Amun and Ra were fused with the union of the North and South, Sekhmet became known as Mut-Sekhmet, which also played on the duality aspect famous for Eyes of Ra, and Goddess associated with the royal family: this included Baset, Wadjet, and Mut and Hathor who were both associated with or fused with Sekhmet.

**NEXT TIME: **The unthinkable happens at Mut's House of Life. Timaeus and Yugi finally meet, but in a way no one will expect. (Queen of plot Twists sips her wine)


	6. Chapter VI: Revulsion

This one was a bitch! It was a tough chapter and it took all day to write but it came out great! Phew. I was kinda hoping to get a few more chapters typed up before now, but I got about 3 done which is a good goal cause its about one a week and they're all long chapters ^^

Sorry this is a bit late it took a long time to edit and my beta and I were both busy with school, but its up now!

WARNINGS: VIOLENCE AND ATTEMPTED ASSAULT AND BLOODY CHARACTER DEATH. Nothing graphic but I still wanna leave a warning.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot. Characters are Takehashi and Koonami's. Historical facts and accuracy are designed to the best of my research.

Dedications: To my reviewers: mostly 'casue it means a lot to me that you guys take the time to tell me how much you enjoy the story even if its only a few lines. I'm Ecstatic with how many views, favs and follows this story as gotten, but I also like to know whether or not I'm capturing the historical accuracy, hhow I'm portraying the characters and just getting feedback in general. So thanks so much guys!

As always review, critique, comment, ask questions and go nuts! I love your theories and I think a few of you will find yours met ;)

* * *

_Chapter VI: Revulsion_

Yugi hadn't realized he'd been followed, and he didn't notice anyone else until he'd heard snickering behind him. A hand came over his mouth and pulled him into a rough hold before he had a hope of turning around.

He thrashed on instinct, but another hand grabbed his fist, and only when he realized that neither the hand covering his mouth nor the arm around his waist had moved, that there were two assailants. The second rounded to the front and Yugi saw, to his bewilderment, it was a boy. A boy no older than himself, maybe younger. He was short and scrawny, with rounded limbs and head and face like a ball with beady, black bug eyes, aqua hair cropped to a short bob, and his smile was a tiny sinister thing that laughed in a scratchy rasp when he opened it.

His partner was hidden behind Yugi's form, but from the cold prick of metal roughly scrapping his back and arms both wore full bodied armor: smooth chain links connecting metal plates covering shoulders, chests, hips and legs. This wasn't the tough leather hides Kemet soldiers prided themselves on: this was thin, heavy, metal encasing all but their faces in an impenetrable shell.

Realization found instinct and Yugi pushed his head down as far as he could with the gauntlet gagging him, then slammed it back into his captor's nose. With a pained scream, his captor let go and Yugi dropped. His second assailant's grip loosened from shock, and Yugi quickly shot forward and punched him clear in the nose, the way he attacked Siam when he was angry. They retreated the same way Siam did when he was struck: screaming and cowering away to nurse their wounds.

Yugi didn't waste their momentary hesitation. He ran like Ammut nipped at his heels, but the day's events wore heavy on his weakening body. The adrenaline of survival withdrew its power once his attackers were dispatched. His feet were tired, heavy and blistered from the hot sand. His knees felt watery and his blood ran thin, but he pushed forward even as his heart begged him to stop.

As though he sensed the truth of Yugi's condition, the second attacker lunged. He missed but grabbed Yugi's foot, and the boy dropped as if he'd stepped over the edge of a steep cliff and slammed with just as much force. Dizziness overcame him from the force of the didn't have time to maneuver when he was dragged forward. His cheek and side scrapped rough stone irritating his already bruised cheek and leaving shallow scratches like claw marks. Tiny stones and dirt quickly embedded in the wounds, irritating them further.

Yugi rolled over with determination plucking his heart, and tried to kick. The soldier grabbed his foot, halting the blow and squeezed his ankle harshly. Yugi glared at him without fear, and saw the assailant's mask of hatred flinch. Yugi saw then: he was a boy too. Not much taller than himself with a wild mane of brown and white hair bunched together and sticking through the cracks in his helmet in wild stuffs. His eyes were small and sharp but shined with cowardly triumph. His nose bled from where Yugi had struck him but his face was young and adolescent, not yet perfected by maturity. He reminded Yugi of a lizard with the disturbing way he licked his lips, a lizard catching countless flies.

The bug-eyed boy came at him with just as much hate. He lunged but Yugi rolled out of the way, taking his captor with him. The two soldiers fell onto of the other, tangled in a heap of limbs and metal. _Boys. _Yugi realizes with a feeling of almost relief. _Not soldiers, boys. _Young, clumsy, inexperienced and desperate to stand tall in the face of their more fearsome comrades, even to a weak and tired boy.

Yugi pulled on his feet and pried off the lizards squeezing gauntlets, the fingers painfully tight like countless prickling metal thorns. Once free, he crawled away but his ankle screamed under the weight and forced him to stop. He flinched from the pain and the hesitation was his ultimate mistake.

The lizard threw bug boy off him and with eager hands grabbed the cloth of his shenti and Yugi froze when he heard it rip. With a victorious lunge, he grabbed Yugi's wrist and shoulder, and threw him into bug boys waiting arms**. **Armored vice grips pinned Yugi's arms to his sides, imprisoning him despite his wild struggling.

"Little bitch!" Lizard hissed and delivered a swift blow to Yugi's gut knocking the air from his lungs. He froze momentarily then his body crumbled in a fit of coughs and hisses.

"Feisty, heehee," bug boy rasped with a chuckle so high pitched his shoulders bounced. "Maybe we should teach him a lesson?" He suggested with a sinister undertone that promised pain.

"Or maybe we should reward him." Lizard licked his lips, eyes blazing with greedy triumphant-lust?

Yugi's face froze in disbelief. For a moment that felt like a hundred years, he stared at nothing and the world was empty. He felt foolish, not quiet able to understand. Surely, they weren't suggesting…no, it had to be a mistake. His fear and hatred making him frantic and his mind was tired and scared from the hours events. Surely, they hadn't meant it. They were _boys_, they _couldn't_ have meant it. Surely, it was just a ruse, a simple trick to scare him into submission so they could feel tough.

He knew of the brutalities of war, the fates that befell women and victims of invading armies if they weren't killed first. Kemet was no stranger to war and invasion, but such horrors never touched her. Not when such crimes were punishable by death by torture and denial of the afterlife, even for those with the best connections, it wasn't worth the risk. Occurrences, if any, were met with ferocious outcry and swift justice, the names of perpetrators banned from public speaking to emulate their fate in Ammut's belly. And Atlantis, for all its strength and power took a strong moral stance against such horrible acts. The Generals were known for training their soldiers rigorously in the art of restraint, and to publicly and brutally execute any who committed it. They were Atlanta Soldiers. Soldiers for his most ferocious General. Invading Egypt and in the House of Life of Mut-Sekhmet. Surely they weren't…

He stared in a daze until he felt his shenti being pulled, then he heard it rip, and saw it being lifted from his skin. Reality crashed upon him and with it, his will to fight returned.

NO!" Yugi screamed louder than he though his voice capable, and with all his strength, kicked forward. His shin by some God's mercy catching the lizard's jaw when he bent over and sent him spiraling. Wildly, he thrashed his head back, catching the bug for the second time in the face, but this time when the bug screamed in pain, he threw Yugi against Mut's statue.

Yugi's arms cushioned his fall, but the rest of him slammed hard into stone and he crumbled in a fetal pile. Only then did he notice his shenti, half torn and barely clinging to his hips. He tried to look up, but a metal hand punched his side with such force his head smacked the stone. An explosion of light flooded his vision, followed by a spinning haze of brilliant dots.

Before he could scream again, the two men were upon him with furious blows and spouting words of hate. Yugi curled into a ball, his arms flew to cover his head, his legs curled under his belly and he exposed his back, protecting his sensitive middle and head. He tried to scream again but his voice caught in his throat and he could only squeak. He tried to throw himself upward, punch back. Fight—he had to fight, but each resistance was met with another blow.

The rushing blackness threatened to overwhelm him. Bug boy was laughing like a swarm of vicious locus, delivering cowardly blows while the lizard pulled away and struggled in vain to undo his armored belt.

Unable to speak, his thoughts filled with silent prayers. To his parents. To Mut. To Sekhmet. Begging. _Pleading_ for protection. For assistance. For help. To be saved…

In his dizzy pain-filled haze, he swore he heard Sekhmet's statues growling and saw Mut's flawless face, perpetually kind and loving , glare down with a vicious snare—and then a shadow appeared, standing in the entrance to the House. A brilliant green shadow, tall and powerful and spent after completing a heroic run towards a scream for help.

_His_ scream.

Pain blotched his sight and then swirled into darkness and Yugi fell, praying that scream had saved his life.

X X X

It was a scream so filled with fear and determination that at first Timaeus thought that he had imagined it. Then the wind roared in his ears like a mother lioness charging to defend her cubs. Timaeus felt that spirit enter his body and he ran towards it. His armor, once a hindrance to his speed now felt as loose as leather. His limbs were agile and light but coursing, ready to defend, and his feet quick and floating, barely touching the ground. Even the sand felt solid as stone.

In a breath, he was in the threshold to Mut's temple and was paralyzed by what he found there: a boy, naked and bruised but glaring with a wild defiance, was curled in a fetal ball at the base of the statue of the deity and two men, _his_ men standing over him. One prepared to beat him if he dared move, the other struggling to undo the chain-links of his lower armor. Atlantis smiths made specifically difficult in order to prevent such heinous acts during battle for those too weak-willed to remember their training.

He stood there dumbfounded. His world a daze that seemed perpetually frozen, even though he knew it wasn't. He felt blinded, foolish even, and yet it felt impossible, blasphemous. These were _his _men. _His_ people. Men, soldiers, boys, _he'd_ trained, taught them honor, moral, justice in life and in war. He couldn't accept that two of them, even the most foolish and rash, were capable of something as _evil_ as rape.

And then he saw it. It was only a second, barely a moment, but he did, and that was all it took to make the whole thing crushingly real. He met the boy's wet eyes, and beneath the wild, determined bravado he saw pain and the fading will to fight. His hair was tasseled to a mop like drooping plant craving water, his face ashen and speckled with blood, an ugly bruise was growing on his cheek and his lips morphed into a single desperate word.

Timaeus gaze fell, his bangs shadowed his face. Neither attacker had seen him as he entered the temple, and his steps were steady and dangerously calm. Haga's laughter and Rex's disgusting slurs: bile burned his blood. Furious fingers found the hilt of his sword when Rex finished unfastening his chains and wailed with triumph: the victorious glee of a spoiled toddler crushing beetles. Timaeus saw him tower over his captive whose face was etched with pain, but not fear.

With a single wave of his arm, Timaeus drew his sword, and slashed Rex across the back. Slicing armor and flesh, blood sprayed his face. Haga screamed. Rex spun, his face a mask of surprise as he dropped, his body tried to scream but blood foamed in his mouth. His eyes pooled into a pleading almost desperate "Why?", but when he met his General's eyes he found no sympathy—and no mercy.

"You _dare_ look at me that way!" Timaeus thundered and flung his hand forward. Rex's expression dropped. Timaeus snatched him by the hair and dragged him up and punctured each word. "You. _dare_. Question. _Why_!" His voice dangerously low. His eyes narrowed to enraged, unforgiving slits. Rex shook in pure fear and suddenly the pain meant nothing.

Out of the corner of his eye, Timaeus caught Haga trying to crawl away. His whole head spun, catching the boy and he froze like a rabbit cornered by a wolf—and knowing it was about to die. Timaeus dropped Rex, snatched Haga by the hair before he could run and threw him into a corner. His back hit the wall with a loud thud. Haga's scream was all breath and he crumbled paralyzed by shock and fear.

Timaeus rushed to the fallen boy and dropped to his knees, wrenching his mantle free from its clasps. He examined the boy carefully, but kept his eyes in appropriate places. Indents from metal gauntlets dotted his back and arms, tiny groves already healing ringed his ankles. There was blood, but only splatters like they'd been dropped on him. Timaeus checked for wounds but found only bruises. He wore only the tattered remains of a Kemetic wrap. One thigh was covered in bruises but the other was clean, and none dotted the insides. No blood either or liquid. Good, he thought, least he hadn't been raped, but the boy kept his knees tightly closed. More bruises littered his arms and sides, some pale and sickly yellow, others forming ugly blackish purple masses. The worst was on his cheek. The other was scraped. Scratches grooved his side, but none were too deep.

He'd been beaten, but judging from the blood and broken noses of the soldiers he'd fought. He'd screamed and it had saved him.

_Thank Leviathan_ Timaeus prayed, covering the boy with his cloak. Then looking up and faced with Mut's statue and surrounded by duplicates of Sekhmet, he remembered where he was, and amended his prayer. "Thank you Lady of the Heavens and Mistress of Blood and Wars," he whispered. "For protecting this child long enough for my arrival. Rest assured," his voice turned dark and settled Haga and Rex with unforgiving eyes. "This crime will _not_ go unpunished."

X X X

Yugi awakened a moment later to strong arms bundling him in soft warmth. He listened to prayers of thanks to the Goddess and promises of retribution. It stirred him awake and he saw The Shadow. No, not a shadow but a man standing protectively over him. His captors cowered in pure terror, too afraid to even slink away from his glare. One writhed on the floor, blood seeping from his mouth and a terrible wound on his back. The other trembled in the corner like a child about to be whipped for deliberate disobedience.

Once he was certain Yugi was alright, the Shadow grabbed the lizard first by the scruff of his neck. Blood pooled from his mouth, but he wheezed and chocked his words, whimpering, and sniveling to his king then snarling at Yugi as if pleading _He made me do it!_

The Shadow was unimpressed and only shook, pained. "Stupid," he growled, voice dripping with despair. "Stupid, cowardly, lecherous!" Each world was a punctured blow wracked with fury and pain. "Stupid!" He drew his sword and addressed both boys as he would a man. "What were you taught!? What were you trained!?" He held the lizard the way he spoke, sadly and firmly. "I taught you to fight with honor! I trained you to harm no innocent: attack only to defend, kill only if unavoidable, harm no child, rape no woman, kill no farmer or elder. We are not conquerors. We are not rapists. We are not monsters! We are soldiers: we are warriors of Atlantis and soldiers of Locri! We fight with honor because without honor is only slaughter and bloodshed and chaos. You know this!" His words were harsh and with the cruelty of a humorless judge, but with the pained scolding of a teacher punishing a disrespectful student.

The boy looked at Timaeus desperately, but Timaeus' glare remained unsoftened. "Did I not warn you? Did I not say what the punishment for dishonor would be? Have you not seen me enforced it many times before? I forgave your past digressions: your stupid pride, your foolish mischief, but this…attack, this evil….this…this…attempt to…" he choked as he spoke unable to speak the word, as if it would enact the act itself. "Rape," he said as if it were the ugliest curse, the vilest of venom, the very embodiment of the world's evil: because it was.

He raised his sword and the boy's eyes fell on the blade, a curved, shining thing like a fallen moon promising only darkness.

"I cannot forgive." Rex attempted to scream and scramble away, but the blood loss made him weak and his voice was mute. And the blade came down. It plunged into the boy's chest, quick and clean, through armor and flesh. Green eyes blazing with betrayal and pain bore into the foolish boy's remorseful ones until he died. The body crumbled to the ground dead.

The bug-eyes boy the Shadow called Haga screamed. When the Shadow turned on him, he threw himself at his feet and cried, his voice a jumbled of desperate pleads and begs for mercy, but the Shadow silenced him by seizing the back of his neck without mercy but not with cruelty.

"You knew," he said harsh and cutting and with heartbroken sadness. "You _knew_ the act you were committing: did I not tell you many times your fate if you dishonored me? Dishonored your _home_, your _king_? Yes, Haga, you look at me now with those pleading eyes, but I've spared you many times for less! I could forgive your disobedience, I could forgive your cowardness, I could forgive your violence and punish you twice as hard for it, but each time I spared you, did I not warn you what would happen if you were so foolish again? Didn't I?" He demanded in an exasperated roar, and Haga trembled.

"Didn't I?" The Shadow yelled again, this time clear it wasn't rhetorical.

"Yes," Haga's voice was a squeak.

The Shadow's face didn't soften. "Did I not tell you the punishment for dishonor?"

Haga nodded, unable to speak, eyes filled with terror and regret. But it was too late.

"And you attempted to commit the worst of all such sins and you have the audacity to plead mercy?" The words were so harsh, even Yugi, who hated this creature and knew full well he meant to kill him, maybe even join his friend in raping him, felt pity for him.

"No, Haga, neither of you deserve mercy. You would not show it to your victim and I will not show it to you and your end will serve as a reminder to all those who dare think themselves above our law. Now, my stupid, arrogant friend."

The sword rose, the blade a great, shining thing like a shining star falling to earth: beautiful only until it landed bringing destruction in its wake.

"You die."

He killed him the way he killed Rex: quick and clean and plunging the blade through the chest, his eyes forced to meet those of his killer and face exactly what he had done. Haga's head flopped forward and Timaeus removed the blade. It came away dyed scarlet with blood and dripping drops to the stone like scattered rubies. The blade fell at his side, limb as a broken wing and the Shadow dropped the corpse.

His body shook, wracked with suppressed sobs and then he expelled an exasperated sob that transformed into an awful scream. The scream was a creature, a thing: awful and terrible and clawing its way out of him. It ripped and tore and in it was all his anger, all his rage at the men he'd trained and loved, and all his pain and betrayal. So much pain that his own body felt gutted from the inside and he collapsed to his knees for a brief moment of distress.

Then he rose again, inhaled then exhaled and his body fell steady. He turned away from the corpses, no longer seeing them as his solders or stupid boys. Only traitors and rapists.

Yugi's tiny hands clenched the blanket covering him with trembling fingers. He'd hated those two solders. He didn't know if they hated him, but they meant to harm him, rape him, do far worse than whatever they'd been ordered to do, but even he couldn't fathom such a cruel and sudden end to their cowardly lives.

The shadow was merciless, he realized. His justice was harsh, but it was fair and his heart wasn't hard, nor was he incapable of mourning those he had loved and trained, but they had betrayed him. Tried to commit an act so wrong that he could not forgive them, and he'd punished who they had become, not who they had been, and in his steps was the sadness of parting with an old but dangerous comrade.

He'd stepped towards Yugi, who only now saw his face and recognized immediately who this Shadow was.

X X X

"Are you injured?" Timaeus asked now that the boy was awake. Only now did he recognize the colors in his hair, which had fallen to a mop of black but the forelock of spun gold betrayed his identity. His heart leapt and he knelt closer to gaze into the boy's eyes, their faces met and Timaeus saw him light up in shocked recognition, but he ignored it and focused only on the shining color of his pupils. A deep, shining blue, far deeper than lapis lazuli, nearly violet. They stared at each other until those violet eyes fell on his armor and shook. Timaeus blinked then grasped the situation with a sudden start and said reassuringly, "It's alright," he waved his hands defensively, trying to wipe the blood from his armor. "Are you Yugi?"

He stopped when a look of darkness overcame the boy's face, and grabbed the dagger Timaeus kept tucked in his boot. The boy struck with a wild circular slash, the diameter of his arm. Timaeus fell back on instinct, and rolled away when they boy abandoned the mantle Timaeus had given him and stabbed at him in a single downward strike.

Timaeus dodged it easily and rolled to his feet, but made no more to attack. The boy came at him again, attacking, stabbing inelegantly and without strategy, his eyes wild as a caged beast suddenly freed: savage, murderous and terrified.

Of course he was. Were he not dodging blows and shielding his face and neck with armored arms, Timaeus would've smacked himself. It didn't matter if he'd killed his attackers, to this boy he and all Atlantis soldiers were enemies and he mostly thought Timaeus' gallant rescue was just someone else who just wanted to use his body as a toy, but didn't like to share.

After one particularly powerful strike that had the boy propelling all his energy and power into a single strike, Timaeus waited. Then dodged right, catching the boy by surprise. He slammed his hand down on the boy's wrist and he dropped the dagger with a pained scream. At the sound, Timaeus' heart lurched with guilt.

The boy had made the same mistake as countless others: he'd attacked his left side, his blind side. And it cost him. Where he anyone else, the boy would be dead. Instead, Timaeus grabbed his arms and pulled his wrists behind his back, but the boy didn't surrendered peacefully. He thrashed and kicked, slamming his heel into Timaeus' shin with such force he felt it even through his armor.

"Stop!" Timaeus yelled, but regretted the tone when he felt Yugi shiver and thrash harder in terror. Tears streaming from his eyes and he started screaming.

"Stop," he said less commanding. "Yugi," Hearing his name, the boy froze and looked at him with wet-eyed shock and trembled slightly. The question in his eyes spoke what his voice could not. Timaeus looked at him with a sympathetic smile.

"It's alright," he leaned in and whispered the promise in the trembling boy's ear. His hand gently grasped the back of his head, just above the ear. "You're safe now."

The blow was soft and swift with only enough force to compel the already exhausted child to sleep. He collapsed in Timaeus arms, not so much unconscious as in a deep sleep. _Good_ Timaeus exhaled a sigh of relief and retrieved his mantle. The boy needed rest.

He'd just finished bundling him up, when an exasperated gasp echoed through the stone walls. Timaeus sighed and lifted the child into his arms like a bride. He offered no excuse when he met his King's incredulous face.

Dartz did not speak, even as more men poured into the enclosure. His eyes flew to Timaeus fallen sword, the blood pooling from the corpses of soldiers like a red stream at the base of the lioness statues but, confined by their armor, did not dare tread towards the mother goddess feet.

Only now did he see the bundle in Timaeus' arms.

"Is that him?" Dart asked, his voice numb.

Timaeus nodded. "He is unharmed," Timaeus assured then glared at the corpses, betrayal and anger etched so deeply in his face. At once, Dartz understood—and so did the men. "They dishonored me."

No further explanation was needed.

"Move the bodies," Dartz ordered. "And clean the blood. We shall not insult the consort of Kemet's Great one by leaving them here."

The men nodded and moved to clear them away, but Timaeus spoke. "Gather the blood first. We'll leave it as an offering to pacify the Heavenly Lady's less…" he paused, staring at the lioness statures as if in a daze. The spirit he'd felt before suddenly left him and now he felt face to face with the mother lioness herself, and she was not pleased. "_Forgiving_ side."

Dartz nodded. "We shall not leave before pacifying them both." Dartz agreed with a dreadful aura. A tired hand rose to his forehead and suddenly his face was that of a man twice his age and half as experienced. "They were Atlantian men. They _knew_ better."

"And they paid the price for their foolishness."

Dartz didn't flinch at Timaeus' cruel tone. "Let us pray Psusennes and Mutdjanent think so." He glanced at the two bodies on the floor, and the men confused on where to move them,

Throw them to the desert," Timaeus answered his unasked question without mercy.

The soldiers gasped at the command. "General?"

Timaeus stopped and glared, daring the man to challenge his rule. "Leave them for Mut's vultures and Sekhmet's cats to pick clean. It is the least they deserve for attacking her child. And rapists, even failed ones, deserve far less." He spoke without pity. No one questioned him.

He started out of the temple with the boy still bundled like a sleeping babe when Dartz asked "Shall I have one of the men carry him to the ship? There is room with the physician."

"No, I'll take him." Timaeus said firmly. "He's suffered enough at the priests' hands and my own men would have done worse. I will keep him until he awakes. I trust you have no objections?"

Dartz looked at him with a neutral gaze. "Were you anyone else, I'd question such kindness as an attempt at seduction," Dartz said flatly, his eyes betrayed nothing. Then he smiled. "But you are not anyone else, Timaeus of Locri."

Timaeus smiled. "Your faith will not be abused."

With that he left the temple. Winds prickled his neck like claws, almost warningly. His eyes fell on his beautiful burden. Only now able to see his face. He was lovely. Sweet, round cheeks, a sweetheart face set with a button nose, a small mouth with small petal pink lips and large round eyes: innocent, elegant and loving like an Earth Mother's. Even bruised, messy and caked with dirt, he was simply lovely.

Again, Timaeus smiled, but it was curved rather than slit. "I look forward to meeting you officially," he paused and purred the name, savoring the bell-like sound and how easily it rolled off his tongue. "Yugi."

* * *

My second longest chapter so far word wise. I'm very proud of how it came our, especially Timaeus. I had to redo the beginning like three times to keep the fight scene from going all matrix style and keep it real, plus Yugi's been running all day on hot sand (if any of you have been to the beach barefoot that shit BURNS!) so once his adrenaline is out he's gone.

I was also careful with the rape scene for historical purposes: Thought the Ancient Egyptians were very open sexually, rape was extremely rare in Egypt because it was considered a violation against life and the universe or Ma'At, even worse than murder and was punished accordingly. In fact, many foreginers were stunned that women could walk down the streets of Egypt alone and at night with no fear of sexual assault and of the few reports it was dealt with severely: one account I found (one of the VERY few) was of a woman who brought her husband a court official to trial for raping a servant, though the results of the trial are uncertain the fact that she was able to do this and that he was a high official and not immune to the consequences says a lot. Even during war times, Egypt saw very few accounts of rape because it was something deemed so horrible, that it shouldn't exist (and in Egypt the worse fate was non-existance) I hope this explains Yugi's reaction and also seeing that Atlantis is a very honorable country right now, I can feel them addressing the issue the same way. Granted rape and murder were extremely common during War, the only way it was avoided was if it was addressed as such: this is what Timaeus told his men and why he reacted the way he did so I hoped that was captured. That and I don't have the heart to let Yugi get raped. I don't have the emotional ability to address such a severe issue, but rest assured the attempt is still pretty terrifying and I intend to address it next chapter.

**Next Time: **Yugi awakens to the aftermath of the Atlantian Invasion and his capture is none other than the notorious Timaeus


	7. Chapter VII: Waking

Phew! I said I'd get this up Saturday and its offically Sunday (headdesk) Sorry this is so late: I forgot to mention that I was on vacation last week and we came home Saturday but spent the day at my aunt and uncles so I didn't get home until 6 and had to edit this chapter, unpack, do my homework and all that jazz (headdesk) long damn day!

But the chap is extra long and filled with LOTS of fun stuff for all of you to make up for it ;)

Disclaimer: see previous

Dedication: To Val for reminding me to update and editing lickity-split! And because I was skyping with her when this idea came to me based on her feedback! I love you hun!

As always read, review, comment, critique, ask questions, post theories and have fun!

_Chapter VII: Waking_

He was swaying.

It was the first thing Yugi's consciousness became aware of. All other senses lost in the drifting between the conscious awareness of waking and the blissful absent darkness of sleep. He didn't as much sway, as rocked up and down, side to side—a perpetual, repetitive arch that felt almost soothing.

Slowly, his mind became aware of other things—things less noticeable when he was awake, but clearer now that his subconscious was in control. His skin felt tight and covered in places, and airy and exposed in others. He flexed his muscles, subconsciously, and his skin was restrained by smooth, slippery, sleekness like solidified water without the wetness. Feathery delicateness brushed bare skin, tickling and bundling. The ground molded to his body, providing elevation and softness. His fingers flexed and brushed feathers and cloth. He could feel himself slipping in-between dream-like bliss and self-awareness and he fought them with memories and facts. His subconscious mind began matching sensations to labels and things.

Blankets. Bandages. Bed. Rocking. Swaying. Water? Ships? Barks? No, not Royal Barks, but he did remembered a ship. A large ship, too large to be a Kemet Bark. Something else. Something different. Something bigger, wider, many-sailed and black like...

_Like Dragon Wings_. Yugi's eyes flew open, memory returning with devastating clarity, and with it, an all-consuming dread. The instinct that followed propelled him upward and completely free from the grip of sleep. He became aware of his surroundings before his eyes scrutinized the detail. The walls and floor were wood, not stone. The windows were glass, not open slivers. And the scenery outside wasn't a single scene, but stationary desert and parallel to the Nile rushing in the opposite direction. Examining where he was, he found silk sheets, not linen, the addition of a comforter, and the mattress was feathered and weightless beneath his aching bones, like a cloud. Not the stern lump he'd grown accustomed to, and the bed was a wooden box frame with four posters shoved into the corner of a room that was clearly too furnished and had too much to be his. He wasn't in Mut's temple, or Amun's, or even on Kemet soil.

"Ah, I see you've finally awakened." All breath left him in a single gasp: sudden, soundless, and frozen. He recognized the voice before he could match it to a face. That melodic baritone, so deep and syrupy, it sweetened his very bones. The same voice that promised him the world before his world went black. And he knew exactly who it belonged to. His heart leapt into his throat and froze there, then dropped to his stomach.

Slowly, unwillingly, Yugi turned his head and met the bright eyes of Timaeus: one as emerald as the sea, and the other a ghostly white scar. His enemy's gaze was warm and low-lidded. "Welcome back." He smiled a sliver, but a twinge of arrogance hid behind it, betraying what his eyes masked well.

Fear transforming into rage and rebellion, Yugi's eyes sharpened to slits of defiance. His body sprang into action and his hand reached for some sort of weapon. A pang, like a jolt, wracked his torso. His body was suddenly aflame with agony and he slumped forward with a pitiful sound between a hiss and a shriek. Timaeus shot forward, catching him as he stumbled. Yugi fell into his arms and hated himself for his own weakness.

"Easy," he said kindly, almost concerned. "Your bruises are still healing. Moving too much will only irritate them further."

Yugi wanted to wretch, but he was in too much pain to retort.

Instead, he looked up and met Timaeus' smile with a glare. In this position and at this distance, Timaeus' face was revealed in all its glory. His face was handsome and full of angles and carried an ageless quality. Finely-cut cheekbones made his smile radiate and a strong chin gave him a regal look. The scar, his only blemish, amplified whatever expression its bright, beautiful twin presented and it made him appear even gentler. He was handsome and appeared young, heartbreakingly so, but carried the maturity and wisdom of a man three times Yugi's own age. He could very well be three times his age and Yugi would never be able to tell. It made his attractiveness all the more appealing. And Yugi hated himself for it.

He held the man's gaze, but his clever fingers searched, until they felt the hilt of a knife. He enclosed a fist around it and slowly, he pulled. A calloused hand, strong from years of labor, enclosed his wrist, like a root ensnaring dirt, and squeezed. Yugi was unable to hold back a short yelp of pain but he refused to relinquish his bounty. He tightened his hold, even as his wrist and the knife were pulled away, and held above his head, not enough to cause him pain, but enough to force him to meet his enemy's face.

Timaeus regarded him with fathomless eyes and a smile of accomplished anticipation, and at once, Yugi understood. "You should change your tactic, little one." He teased in surprisingly-smooth Aramaic—his accent faint and hard to place, but hinted of the Eastern Kingdoms. "That trick won't work twice." He paused, smile curled with no effort to hide its confidence. "Well," a purr of arrogance. "Not on me."

Yugi screamed again, but this time it was a creature of rage and defiance. His pain forgotten, his free hand curled into a fist and struck. Timaeus caught it with no effort. Yugi snarled and ripped it free before he could tighten his grip. He used the distraction to pull his other wrist free. He surrendered the knife and it dropped. Somehow, Timaeus caught it, spun to set it on the table and caught Yugi around the middle when he tried to shove Timaeus away. Yugi shrieked in fury and hammered the man's chest, hitting flesh. Through the haze of rage, he only now saw Timaeus' armor was absent—save for his mantle, boots, wrist guards, and a belt protecting his hips and groin. The rest was a singular, dark silver under-armor. Anger surged through him when Timaeus grabbed his wrists. Using the new realization to his advantage, Yugi brought his knee up sharply, aiming for Timaeus. He missed his vulnerable thigh, but caught him in the hip.

It was enough. Timaeus muttered a curse and released him. Yugi didn't waste the opportunity. He spun on his heels and ran for the hold, shoving at the doors without stopping. They opened into a larger room, but he didn't pause to take in the detail. He thrust the doors open and was welcomed with a face full of blinding sunlight and river air.

Momentarily blinded, he inhaled air ripe with Nile silt and chilled with a welcoming breeze. It tasted like freedom on his tongue. The brightness, the freshness, the air, the sound of rushing waves—it was the promise of heaven. Yugi crossed the threshold, leaping like a wild stallion escaping the farmer's fence and expecting to feel grass on the other side.

Only for the dream to clear and nightmarish reality to settle—and Yugi found himself in the heart of the lion's den. Meaty-armed Thranites rowed massive oars in circular patterns like they were spinning sticks. Hoplites perched on rims and steps polishing spears and sharpening shields until their deadly points reflected the light. Soldiers donning the green and silver colors of their leader brandished swords and bragged of their conquests. Overhead, sailors climbed among the nets and masts like a swarm of insects. Gruff exteriors roughened by travel at sea, toughened by months of battle, and the adrenaline of the fight pumped their veins—evident in their wild eyes.

Then every pair of wild eyes turned on him: what began as surprised curiosity quickly morphed into something less innocent, and far more sinister. Some branded horrible smiles of ugly teeth. Others waved arms, and Yugi noticed some had missing limbs, while others donned armor crusted with dried blood. Some licked their lips. Others cocked their heads with the innocent cruelty of a child that found a hiding animal.

Hope died in Yugi's chest. His heart dropped to his stomach, leaving a hole that swelled to the edge of panic. To his horror, his body froze like a rabbit caught in the grip of a wolf. Caught, but by no means willing to surrender. They advanced on him, and Yugi backed away, panicked eyes scrutinizing for a way out. With horror, he realized there was none—he was on a ship in the heart of the Nile. He could never hide, not with so many eyes on him. He couldn't run; the paths were blocked by supplies and soldiers, and unlike the Precincts, he didn't know its secrets. He'd only trap himself and leave himself at the mercy of murderers and pirates. He could run, but they'd catch him. He could fight, but they'd easily overpower him, have their way with him, and pass him about like a broken toy to be used and discarded. Or worse, they'd do nothing, neither help nor harm, but leave him at the mercy of their captain who'd already ruthlessly killed two of them and who knew what else.

There was only one escape. He ran to the side of the ship. Panicked fingers gripped the edges. The Nile bubbled two layers down, pushing foam and rough waves as the galleon piled through it—rough but not unswimmable. He could see the current sweeping towards the shore. It could carry him easily. He pulled his weight onto the ledge. His knees touched the railing. He heard screaming behind him, but he ignored it. He pivoted his feet, balancing on his heel and pushed to jump.

Cloth bunched in his front, tightening around his neck—a split-second warning before a rough jerk pulled him back and threw him against the floor of the ship with such force, he nearly slid. His back screamed in rage, air was forced from his chest. He'd closed his eyes during the impact and opened them dully with a gruff of pain. Immediately, he wished he hadn't.

Timaeus stood over him, his fist had uncurled but his fingers twitched at his side, poised and light—ready to strike, ready to grab. The other tightened into a fist, and all earlier kindness was gone from his face as if it hadn't been there at all. Instead, it contorted to a snarl of livid fury that he did nothing to contain. But in it, barely concealed, was a heartbreaking deliverance. He stepped forward and dropped to a single knee, shaking—whether it was in rage or relief, Yugi couldn't tell. He looked Yugi over with a quick nod. Yugi's mouth dried at the look of calculated fury, narrowing and blazing at the perilous stunt. The scar scrunched to mimic his snarl, before he clenched Yugi's chest in his fist and dragged him upward. Timaeus' body hunched over him, glaring down.

"Stupid, reckless brat!" He started deceptively calm, but rage valorized his voice. Grim severity punctured his every word. "Do. You. Have. _Any. Idea._ What you almost did?! What you were about to do?! What you nearly—!" Timaeus' fists shook, and for a moment, Yugi feared he'd punch him. Instead, it came down into the wood, missing Yugi completely, but the force was enough to splinter it. Yugi's breath froze, and his defiance with it.

Timaeus shook violently, filled his cheeks with air then exhaled harshly. He retracted his fist and uncurled it. His grip on Yugi's shirt released, but the boy didn't move.

"Fool," Timaeus said again, shaking. The same way he had when he spoke to those boys, but there was more pain and less anger. "Stupid fool." His hand dropped parallel with Yugi's head, curling into the wood. "Why in Hades' Tartarus would you try something so stupid? Do you honestly have such little regard for your own safety?! Your life?!" Each word was an enraged hiss and struck like a punch in the stomach, and Yugi was forced to bear it without swaying.

"Did you honestly think you'd survive the swim?! After the flood?! You—who is a native to this country and knows its treachery?! Did you actually think you could reach shore? Survive the waves if the crocodiles didn't get at you first? Did you?!"

Yugi knew he wouldn't have. But he'd deluded himself with the falsity of hope. It was all he had. And how dare this bastard try to take that from him, even if he was right!

But Timaeus wasn't done. "Is that what you truly want—TO DIE?!" Each syllable hit with the force of a savage wave: sudden and all at once until you were drowning in it.

Yugi tried to block out the words, but the sheer reality and stark truth in the Trierarch's words was worse than any physical strike. Hesitantly, Yugi wondered if the punishment would've been easier if Timaeus _had _simply slapped him for his stupidity. His entire body shuddered, his heart pounded in his chest and his mind raced with horror.

"DO YOU?!" Timaeus demanded.

Yugi broke. "I'D RATHER BE DEAD THAN BE YOUR WHORE!" he screamed. The dam of concealed emotions finally broke. He thrashed in a fit of heartbroken sobs, until he finally collapsed—his wails transforming into distressed, fearful whimpers.

The outburst caught Timaeus off-guard and he softened in his surprise. His natural protective instincts soared to life without his approval. That had been the _last_ thing he wanted the boy to think of his position, but what did he expect? Their first meeting hadn't given the boy any reason to trust him, least of all his situation. But how could he explain that when the brat was so ready to fly and shamelessly risk his life like it could easily be recycled? Like escape was a flower-strewn path of thornless roses to skip down, like life's perils and survival's struggles were a children's bed time story. Was he truly that naïve? Truly that desperate?

Timaeus removed a hand from his face, having forgotten when he'd put it there, or when he'd closed his eyes. The boy was still sprawled beneath him, glaring with predatory defiance and a will stronger than iron and not half as breakable—but shadowed in the purple depths was a trace of fear. A wild fear like a cornered cat before reason left it and it unleashed the full force of its animalistic fury.

Timaeus inhaled sharply and held it. Then with a calming sigh, he exhaled and promised as gently as he possibly could, "That would never have happened."

A soundless growl shuddering through his body, Yugi sat up to retort, but Timaeus cut him off with a blunt "Are you injured?"

Yugi blinked, the retort dying in his throat. Instead came a surprised "What?"

"Did those men harm you?" he amended the questions, "Besides the bruises?"

Yugi shot up in confused fury. "What the devil are you—"

"I'm asking if you're alright," Timaeus said, forcing his tone to be patient. It only infuriated Yugi more. How dare this man speak to him like he was some disobedient child! He shot up, his mouth opened to release a string of Kemet curses, but a third voice caught him off-guard and his rage vanished.

"Oh, my." Both boys turned to the surprised gasp of the interloper. He stood taller than them both, in a loose white and blue robe with a silver and blue chain of status tied around his waist. A spiked wave of aqua hair was tamed by a silver circlet of sovereignty and an emerald bearing the helm of a blue stone shimmered at his neck. Both knew him. Both recognized him, though it was the first time Yugi had seen the man's face.

King Dartz of Atlantis stood with his face frozen. His golden eyes widened like a child who walked in on something he wasn't supposed to. Something inappropriate. A tiny smile formed at his face and he raised a hand just in time to stifle a laugh. His next words followed a snort. "How did this little debacle occur, I wonder?" he said, like a servant girl barely able to keep silent about a conquest.

Yugi felt his cheeks grow warm. Timaeus' face flamed. The position they'd taken during the spat suddenly became embarrassingly apparent. Timaeus regained his composure first and hopped up. He grabbed Yugi's arm, and with a gentle yank, hauled him up—but he didn't let go. Yugi tried to pull it free, but Timaeus only tightened his grip in warning. Yugi understood and reluctantly surrendered. He was right to not believe he wouldn't flee.

"Our guest," Timaeus explained, drawing up his mantle with his free arm and draping it over the smaller boy's shoulder, "Overreacted upon waking. And in his panic, sought a rather," he paused and looked down at his captive, then coughed into his hand, "Reckless attempt at flight."

Yugi bowed his head with shame. The mawkish details were nowhere near as humiliating as the stern paternal tone, far gentler and less brutally honest than the voice Timaeus had used to scold him.

"I see," Dartz said flatly, asking for no further details. He turned to Yugi, eyes soft with repent. "Please allow me to offer my sincerest apologies," he bowed slightly to meet Yugi's eyes, but he spoke to him as he would a man, not a child or a woman. "Let me assure you now that we mean you absolutely no harm, nor shall any harm befall you while you are under Atlantis' protection. I'm sure you have many questions, so let me start by asking: Is your name Yugi?"

Yugi sucked in a breath. "How do you know that?" The name was a sacred promise; it has been heard by many, but shared and spoken only by those with permission to use it. Those closest to his heart or closest to his mother who gave it to him, and his father who gave all his children "secret" names reserved for private sharing amongst themselves when decorum and image held no power over them. Remembering someone else who'd called him by that name, his eyes shot to Timaeus. His smile confirmed Yugi's fears. His attention diverted back to Dartz who gave him a reassuring smile that was matched by his gaze.

"How do you know that name?" Yugi demanded, but shock strangled the words.

Dartz offered a hand. "We were sent here on a very special mission by someone very close to you. The new Pharaoh Psusennes I." Yugi looked at him with confused eyes and Dartz amended his dialect. "Forgive me. I believe you know him better as Per-A'Ah Pasebakhaenniut."

"Pas sent you!" Yugi said the nickname without thinking. He broke free from the shelter of Timaeus' cloak, and forgetting all decorum in his desperation, grabbed Dartz's hand. "Where is he? Where's Mut? Are they alright? Please tell me!"

"They're fine," Dartz said with a smile and held up a reassuring palm. "They're waiting for you and the hem-netjer in Djanet," Dartz explained. "Your brother feared for your safety in their care, but he could not risk a civil war between them. It is why he asked for our aid. He knows fully well they plotted against him, but seeking to end the battle without bloodshed, he offered Atlantis an alliance—one I was pleased to accept." Dartz knelt down to Yugi's ear as if whispering a secret. "But he specifically asked we free _you_ above all else."

Yugi's eyes widened. He understood when Dartz pulled away, and nodded firmly when he met the King's eyes. Pas was going to become King. He could rule Kemet as Per-A'Ah but not unite it, not so long as the Divine Servants of Amun held their sway over the desert and their power over the Gods in the eyes of the people. Attacking them, imprisoning them, and forcing them to accept his reign would make him a tyrant in the eyes of the people—just like letting them make all his decisions would make him appear weak; a little better than a figurehead. Though he secretly hoped he'd return for him, Yugi knew it was impossible. Mut could come, but not Pas. The moment Father died, Kemet became his, and with it, all her treasures and burdens. Kemet would _always_ come first. Before anything else. Before his family. Before his Great Royal Wife. Even before a single boy whose love could be used against him. The only option to solve the matter peacefully was with the aid of a "mutual" third party. _Pas could not have chosen a better strategy_, Yugi thought.

"It is also why I had my most trusted Knight lead the invasion." Dartz' eyes drifted to Timaeus—who'd stood strategically-placed between Yugi and the king, and the wandering eyes of his crew behind him.

When the attention returned to him, he donned the persona of a knight and bowed, graciously. "Timaeus of Locri—Leader of the Dragon Knights and Trierarch of the _Eye of Timaeus_—at your service." He spoke it like it was a joke, but he carried the arrogance of his title as dashingly as he wore his mantle and armor. Yugi regained his composure, but kept his face hard.

"I knew he would secure the priests and their conspirers with as minimal damage as possible," Dartz concluded.

"So they're safe?" Yugi challenged the knight, but not the King.

Timaeus nodded. "Everyone was apprehended carefully," he explained evenly. "My soldiers were given the strictest order: our mission was to capture and apprehend—_nothing more_." He stressed the word. "Resistance was dealt with swiftly, and any injured were taken and treated by our physician, including yourself. Servants and slaves are currently residing in the lower quarters—the hem-netjer in the brigs, as they'd done nothing but swear vengeance upon me. As for the two soldiers you…" he paused and amended his words when Yugi's neutral mask hardened. "Who attacked you, they are both dead."

"You killed them," Yugi whispered in a hiss. It was a statement and a harsh one.

"Yes." Timaeus made no effort to deny it. "They disobeyed me when they struck you, and lost all hope of redemption when they attempted to molest you, and in a _temple_ of all places." He let his rage and betrayal bleed into the last part, before composing himself. "They knew what they were doing and they knew the consequences, and they were the stupidest of fools to think they'd be given mercy. I'd warned them countless times and they still disobeyed. My only regret is that I did not arrived sooner. Perhaps, had I did, you'd have less bruises."

If his sincerity was an act, Yugi couldn't tell. Those terrible memories swarmed in his mind like a plague of locusts, filling him with dread and horror. Tears pricked his eyes from sheer helplessness more than anything else. His hands rubbed his arms, suddenly feeling chilly in the heat. He couldn't deny he'd felt a sick satisfaction when he'd seen them both die. Seeing them weak and helpless and crying for mercy. It satisfied him even as it filled him with pity. Pity that died as soon as it was over, and everything was brought into context.

Guilt squeezed Timaeus' sinking heart at the boy's distress. He lifted his mantle, which Yugi had thrown off in his haste, and it fell limply over his arm. He draped it over the boy's shoulders, and to his relief, Yugi stopped crying.

The cloak fell over Yugi's shoulders protectively like a dragon's wing. The gesture surprised him at first, but not nearly as much as the comfort it brought. He remembered when the man had done this before. How grateful he'd been and how he'd thought his prayers were answered when the green Shadow stopped his attackers and saved him. Saved him, he realized. Regardless of who it was or how it was done, he _had_ been saved. He could ponder the possible futures and its darkest moments, remind himself over and over how close it had come, how all it took was a few more second or minutes—but the fact was, it hadn't. It hadn't happened and it would never happen. His attackers were dead. Dead, with their blood draining from ugly wounds and their bodies probably rotting in the desert. Certainly not how they expected their lives to end, if they expected to be punished at all. Their end was fitting: the brutality a simple reflection of their attempted crime.

His shadow—no, not a shadow, Timaeus—though it burned him to admit it, had saved him. And he was safe now. Safe under the protection of Atlantis and its King, and on his way to reunite with his brother and sister who loved him. Menk and Maat would never be able to control him again. Perhaps it hasn't been what he expected, but wasn't this what he wanted? A way to reunite with his family? Surely, it wasn't a coincidence Timaeus had arrived just at the time he'd needed him most. Just after he'd finished his prayers even? Had Mut-Sekhmet not given him strength in his hour of need and sent him a protector as well? Yugi wanted to laugh. Wanted to cry. Instead, he just smiled and wiped his eyes, the smallest of laughs escaping him as the cloak fell over his arms.

_The Gods certainly work in mysterious ways._ He laughed to himself for ever being doubtful. _But they're always listening_.

Timaeus smiled at the boy's change in demeanor. He didn't expect his trauma to recover quickly, but perhaps the knowledge that he was indeed safe was a start. Carefully, he stepped forward and did the clasps of the cape, keeping it together, though it was made for armor and hung comically off on one of Yugi's shoulders. Timaeus found it almost cute.

"You fought bravely, by the way," he whispered as he did the second clasp. Yugi looked at him with confused eyes. "Those boys were the worst of my soldiers, but they were still formidable forces and you fought them like they were children bullying a stray. Were circumstances different, I'd have no doubt you would've escaped them easily. Be proud of that fire, little one. That is what saved you more than I."

Yugi blushed at the comment and pulled the cloak tighter around his shoulder. "Thank you," he said reluctantly, though the reassuring words _did_ make him feel better. "They weren't the first brutes I fought."

"Really?" Timaeus raised an impressed brow. "That doesn't surprise me. You fight like a tigress." He chuckled and Yugi's eyes doubled at the bold statement. Timaeus saw his gaping mouth and laughed. "I should know, given you've attacked _me_ twice. Your limbs are quiet powerful. Had it been anyone else you fought, you'd have escaped both times."

Was he praising him? The thought made Yugi's spine arch in a pleasant shudder and his cheeks burn.

Timaeus smiled at the boy's surprised blush. He moved to speak again, but an obvious cough caused them both to turn. Timaeus spun in the King's direction and Yugi followed, just now remembering he was still there.

Dartz's expression was one of humor and knowledge, curled like he'd just figured out a secret. "I am pleased to see that this issue is settled," he said with a chuckle, and it was a miracle of their wills that both men stayed composed. "As such, it's only fitting young Ujalah remains here," Dartz smiled with wicked playfulness, catching the confused expressions of both boys. It almost made him feel guilty for his next decision, but it was the best one, he knew. He braced himself for their horrified expressions before he finished the sentence. "In _your_ care, Timaeus."

* * *

Heehee...I trust that should satisfy you all and keep you guessing until next week ;) Rest assured next update will be on time (Friday) EARLY!

I had SO much fun writing this chapter! Especially after how tough last chapter was this one was so much fun. I'm surprised how long these chaps are taking though...but oh well.

X x X

**Grammar Knight's Note/s:**

Aramaic – a family of languages belonging to the Semitic family. Very popular during the Ancient World period.

Tartarus – part of the Greek Underworld that Hades rules over; dungeon of torment of suffering for the wicked

X x X

**_Next Time:_** Tim and Yugi's reaction to Dartz's request, a new and familiar face makes an appearance and Timaeus has a little "talk" with his men after Haga and Rex's horrific betrayal.


	8. Chapter VIII: Trierarch

Technically this is the second chapter of the week, cause I posted the last one on Sunday, but I hope you all enjoy it! This is one of my favorite chapters cause Timaeus is such a bad ass!

And like I promises we see a new face who will play a role in the coming chapters and possibly the story ;)

Disclaimer: You know the drill, i own nothing but the plot. Yugioh characters all belong to Takehashi (even the anime only characters)_,_ any and all historical figures are fictional and in no way pertain to the real people.

Special thanks to Val for getting the chapter back to me so fast! And for helping me decide who to make the Physician ;) I know a few were wondering if we'd see more of the yugioh characters in this so I decided to add a few before we get to Atlantis ;) hope you like the one I picked ;)

As always read, review, critique comment and go nuts with theories!

_Chapter VIII: Trierarch_

Neither man spoke. Yugi's eyes expanded in shock, and his mouth opened and closed like a fish gasping for air. Timaeus had not moved nor spoken a word, but his stance indicated that one false step and his balance would be lost.

Dartz was unsurprised by the reactions. His mouth remained a neutral, dignified line, but his eyes smiled. "I trust that won't be a problem?"

Timaeus unfroze and coughed into his hand, clearing his throat and giving him time to collect himself. "With all due respect, Your Highness," he spoke with as much grace as he could muster, "As Trierarch, I have other duties I need to oversee during this voyage. Perhaps our guest would be better left in our Physician's care?" he suggested, but his argument was a desperate squeak.

Rebellious annoyance replaced Yugi's shock and he stepped forward, purposely shoving Timaeus out of his way. "King Dartz," he bowed his head out of respect, but met the man's eyes when he came up, "I am extremely grateful for your kindness and generosity, but please understand, I am not a child and as such, I do not need—nor want—a caretaker. I'm grateful for your aid and I am aware of your promise to the Per-A'Ah, but I'd much rather earn my keep."

Dartz looked at them both, but remained unyielding. "I understand both your concerns well," he assured, then his mask became a frown. "But I'm afraid I cannot adhere to either of your requests." He silenced their stunned protests with a gaze of regal authority. His eyes hardened with adamancy. "You, Ujalah, are a guest on this ship and I have no desire to offend Psusennes by having you work like a common servant. You owe me nothing in regards to your transport. Secondly, you are still recovering from your injuries. Whether you believe they are severe or not is irrelevant—the fact is, you were attacked and you need to recover. As such, I am not permitting you to leave until our physician agrees you are fully healed. Until then, I cannot permit you to wander on your own. Thirdly, you were attacked by _our_ men." He'd stressed the word with a growl of furious betrayal. Worse than the fury he'd seen on Timaeus when he'd struck his traitorous comrades down.

"I will explain the situation to him," Yugi argued quickly. "I know those men were acting against orders! He will understand if I—"

Dartz cut him off with a sharp, low bark. "They were _our_ men. Timaeus is their Trierarch, and I am their King. I am responsible for all of my generals' men _and_ their actions. If even a single soldier falters, then all those who remain must know the consequences of their comrade's actions, lest they start to think they can escape prosecution for a similar crime." He looked at the men when he said those words. Yugi opened his mouth to protest but suddenly, he felt their curiosity focused on him: curiosity in the form of leers, glares, glimpses, and spare glances—and he could not ponder a single argument that didn't sound childish.

Dartz continued, unaffected. "While I have nothing but faith in Timaeus' soldiers, I have no desire to risk your safety. When we arrive in Djanet, you will be returned to Psusennes where your safety will be assured. Until then, you will remain in Timaeus' care. That is not negotiable."

Yugi wanted to protest. It was on his lips and in his eyes but the words twisted in his throat, and instead of elegance, all he could manage was desperate silence and a growl of silent frustration.

"As for you, Timaeus," Dartz turned to his General and found his head bowed reluctantly like a child being patronized. "There is a reason I only trusted you with locating young Ujalah, and why I trust only you to see to his care," he said with a smile. "Your loyalty is unquestionable and your strength is unmatched. You are also," he paused and his smile widened. With a laugh, he said, "Chivalrous to an absolute fault."

Timaeus couldn't suppress a chuckle. Yugi's mouth dropped and he stared at the King in shock. Timaeus? The most ruthless of Atlantis' Dragon Knights? Who killed two of his own men, however wretched they might've been, without blinking an eye—and who, in the short time they'd known each other, had disarmed him twice, knocked him out once, and restrained him physically both times? This man was _chivalrous_?

"It makes you the perfect protector," Dartz summarized, "And is why I can only trust our guest's care to you. I know you will both keep him safe and keep your men in line, and ensure our guest does not pursue anything reckless while he recovers. How far that protection goes is completely up to you, but I will see your care, Ujalah, in no one else's hands but yours, Timaeus. This is not negotiable," Dartz addressed them both. His last words were spoken with sovereign severity and held no room for argument.

Timaeus bowed to the waist obediently. A protest formed on Yugi's lips, but wisely, he said nothing.

"We will arrive in Djanet in two days' time," Dartz concluded and turned to retreat back to his cabin. "Now I suggest you return to your quarters, Yugi—you've had quite a day."

"Wait, Your Highness," Yugi called politely. "Where will I be staying?"

Dartz turned over his shoulder with a bemused smile. "I believe I made myself clear on that." There was a chuckle in his voice and he left with that. Yugi blinked, puzzled. He jumped when he felt a hand on his shoulder and spun around.

Timaeus retracted his hand bemusedly. He looked at a confused Yugi. "You heard him, little one. Back to bed." He gestured with a finger towards the aftercastle.

The words sank in and Yugi's heart dropped. His face grew hot and his cheeks burned. "No," he said firmly, but too quickly for it to sound definitive. "No. No. No. No! I refuse!"

Timaeus rolled his eyes. "Don't be childish," he chided with the bored patience of waiting out a child's tantrum.

It made Yugi's protest even more venomous. "Don't patronize me!"

Timaeus' brow furrowed over a frown. Yugi's untrusting glare expected betrayal and did not soften. "I will not stay in your room—let alone share your bed."

This time, both of Timaeus' brows arched high in surprise—then, in a brief moment of clarity, furrowed with vilified offense. "Don't be vulgar!" He shot forward in a deterrent retort, stung and infuriated by the insult. And judging from the bold brat's grin, Yugi took devilish pleasure in seeing him riled.

_Stubborn devil. _An impatient hand scrunched over his face, then settled on the bridge of his nose. His eyebrows furrowed in frustration. "You are in my care, and thus, under my protection," he said as patiently as possible. "As such, I am tasked with ensuring your safety, and if it eases your mind, that includes your…" he paused and took the hand away. With a glanced, he summed him up quickly. "… Virtue," he said flatly. "Second," he said brightly with the slit of a smile on his face. The corners of it curled when he saw Yugi's own devilish grin falter. "I am much more," the pause was on purpose, "_Chivalrous_ with my lovers than that."

He watched Yugi's face blanch then suffuse with color. His smile curled with triumph.

The coquetry rolled off his tongue with ease of someone well-experienced in the art he boasted—and in that same contralto that had not that very morning seduced him with promises. Yugi choked on the breath he drew, shivering with an unwelcome emotion caught between delight and dread.

"Th-Th-That…" His hatred and fury was a stutter in his throat that he failed to free. "That will never happen," he spat, and his hands balled to fists at his sides. The cloak fell open, exposing the secret it concealed.

Timaeus was about to argue that the slip had been a joke, but he sensed the ears of the crew prickling at the argument, and their eyes following to inappropriate places. Quickly, he shifted in front of his charge, snatched the tail of the cloak halfway and snapped it closed. It encased the smaller body without a hint of trouble, but the owner was far more reluctant.

"What are you do—" Yugi snatched at the cape, trying to pull away, but Timaeus evaded his hands and growled in a low hiss. "Stop that! Are you trying to expose yourself?"

Yugi stopped and blinked. "What?"

Timaeus looked at him, puzzled. Then for the uncounted time in the last hour, he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Of course," he said to himself. He caught Yugi staring at him curiously. Timaeus looked him over through the gaps of his fingers, trying desperately not to be obvious. Suddenly, Yugi felt exposed, but couldn't figure out why. He was dressed, wasn't he? He looked down to confirm it, the mantle still open. And his entire body suffused with color.

He was indeed clothed, but not in his shenti—that he just now remembered had been shredded. He was draped in a billowy-sleeved silken smooth sheath woven so light and thin, it was practically lucid, and so short, it barely covered this thighs. The worst, he realized: it was open in the back. The long sleeves covered his shoulders, but it tapered to a V, exposing the long white channel of his spine to his tailbone. It was alarming. Good Ra, the bandages covered more skin! Even more horrifying was that it was true: soft but strong, possibly cotton bandages wrapped around sore spots covering what he knew must've been bruises. One even patched his cheek and covered his upper left thigh. But they still covered more skin than that damn smock did!

His hands flew to the hems to pull it down, but all he managed were hesitant tugs—certain the gossamers would dissolve under his strength. Too heavy a hand and it might rip, completely leaving him naked. Naked and exposed. "To Ammut's belly and back!" he mumbled in a low, aggravated curse. At least his shenti had reached his knees.

He grabbed the cloak's tails and pulled it taut in a cocoon wrap, hoping to pin it in place somehow. But even with it, he felt naked and humiliated. Native to such a hot climate, nudity and bare skin was common practice in Kemet, but it was a completely different situation in such a foreign collection of fabrics, and surrounded by foreign eyes. Not even in a complete outfit, it felt like. And in the presence of Timaeus of Locri, no less. Yugi never felt so exposed in his life. At least Timaeus had been enough of a gentleman to surrender his cloak.

He'd heard snickers ahead of him and his embarrassment plundered into mortified horror. He nearly died on his feet, when he reluctantly looked up and found the entire ship staring at him. No, staring would've been kinder. Their looks were snickers and snorts with no effort of concealment, and bright with naughty secrets. On their lips were the exchanges of gossip and inappropriate bets. Spotlighted by countless eyes, only Yugi's pride—or rather what was left of it—kept him from fainting. It only grew worse when he realized just _whose_ cloak he was wearing. Ra and Apophis, they probably thought him their Trierarch's wet and willing mistress, not a victim rescued from two of their own!

Yugi was about to hide his face in shame and hope he'd disappear, when an animalistic growl froze his feet in place. He hadn't seen Timaeus turn around, but Yugi noticed it now. Timaeus' face was a snarl of disgust, his fingers curled into fists of barely-restrained fury and his spine arched up and his head lowered like an enraged jungle beast ready to pounce at a single insult. This wasn't his captor who wore superiority like a richly embroidered mantle. Nor the soldier whose loyalty would let him lay down his life for his King. No, this was the Trierarch._ Their _Trierarch. Their _General_. And their General was angry.

"Stay here," he ordered, but gave Yugi neither time nor room to answer. He spun to the aftercastle and marched up the stairs with an aura of unquestioned authority. He drew his sword on the way up and slammed it down against the metal of the banister, and dragged it like he was sharpening it for battle. The blade itself was a curved, shinning thing like a fallen moon, and came down with the same promise of darkness and death. The collision of metal was a smooth biting shriek like a phantom crying. The sound was a warning that echoed like a dying scream and the men wisely silenced.

Timaeus pulled it back to his side when he reached the heart of the aft, but he did not sheathe the blade. Though his armor and cloak were absent, Timaeus looked no less intimidating without them. Worse, in Yugi's mind, it made him look more so. The silver under-armor clung to him like a second skin, molding muscles that were corded and strong, broad shoulders that accentuated a firm chest and robust hips that tapered to slender legs, long and powerful. He was like a sculpted god: beautiful, nearly ethereal, but terrifyingly powerful. The crown of his black and azure hair and circlet of silver bangs adorned him with a regality even the finest monarchy jewelry couldn't mimic. His jeweled eyes completed the image: one an emerald, ferocious and shining bright as danger, the other a sealed pearl with an angry red crack that only accentuated whatever emotion its twin had chosen. Like a Gorgon's eyes—secretive and shadowed.

The men were frozen under it. Their faces became those of blind obedience and life-giving loyalty, but it would earn them no compliment.

"Men." The deep, clear sound of his voice cut through the air, carrying like a gong over the screech of birds. "We have taken Amun-Ra in the name of Psusennes I. We have taken the High Priests and their interlopers into custody. And most of all, we have done so without spilling a drop of blood." Despite the elegance, it didn't sound like praise. He confirmed it wasn't. "But I cannot call our mission a success."

There was a deliberate pause. The soldiers' neutral masks faltered most in shock, but some in shame. "As I'm sure you have noticed, two of our comrades are no longer with us." He swept the gathering of his soldiers with a neutral gaze. Then his eyes slit. "They broke my word, by raising their hands in violence against my express command. But worse," he peered into the heart of his army. "They committed dishonor." His baritone, which was usually smooth and melodic, was dangerously low, rough-edged and razor-sharp with disgust. Even Yugi felt the words shiver down his spine.

"You remember well our Articles of Agreement. You know well your names signed in blood and the promise you agreed upon when you became my men. You know dishonor is the worst of all crimes and more importantly, you know its forms." There was no scolding in his voice. Not even fury, only disgust, and worse, disappointment. "So did they." He did not say their names. They didn't deserve the luxury. "And it shames me that I must repeat them. But an army is only as strong as its weakest lad, and you _are_ an army and a crew. You are _my _army, and if one man falls to the sin of dishonor, then so do we all, and so I have failed and Atlantis must bear the shame. But in justice's name it is only he who, given the choice and chose the wrong action, bears the punishment. You know my honor and you know the price should you disobey it." He began to list them, drilling each word with vehemence.

"You know that if a man takes any treasure from a place we invade without permission, or if he conceals or fails to place such a treasure in the great fund, then he is to be expelled from the army and left to a deserted isle with only a jug of water, a loaf of bread, and a single subtle knife. If he can earn the Gods' forgiveness, he may return. If he does not, then he shall perish. You know that if a man shall be drunk on duty or indulge in such, then he shall receive the same fate. You know that if anyone should slay a man against my express command, then he shall receive the same fate. But you also know that if anyone should slay an innocent—be it man, woman, or child; be it farmer, soldier, or elder—then he is to be thrown into the sea or the desert with no food and no water and no blade, so that he may die slowly for the life he has stolen. And worst of all…" His pause was deliberate and piercing, and he let his glare linger several times on soldiers who withered beneath it. "If _anyone _should molest a woman, man, or child captive, be it on this ship or on land invaded against their will, or should he attempt it…" Another pause, and the silence that followed was more dreadful than a scream. "Then he shall receive no punishment worse than immediate and torturous death, for there is no forgiving the most appalling of acts. Your comrades knew. They courted death and were foolish to think I'd grant them mercy… and I dealt them their fate." His promise was raw and they knew what it meant.

Timaeus stepped back from the railing then—his gaze no less piercing. "We are The Eye of Timaeus. We are the Dragon Warriors of Atlantis. Remember your Honor men, for without Honor, there is only villainy."

Only then did he sheath his sword, and leave the aft. On his descent down, he added, "On to another matter, we have a guest amongst us, and I expect you all to treat him with the same level of respect you would show a guest in your home. Be aware: he is under my protection and should any of you seek to harm him, you will know the end of my blade before you can draw your sword." The casual air in which he'd said it made the promise all the more menacing. He didn't need to look at Yugi for them to know he was the "guest", but Yugi felt spotlighted by it, and at the same time, was grateful for the defense.

Still shivering from the intensity of the incident, Yugi hadn't realized Timaeus had stopped in front of him, and jumped back when he suddenly found him in his line of vision. Timaeus' eyes fell on Yugi's bandages and his expression was no longer hard but softened.

"Back to bed, little one. I'll have no more of it." The tone was gentle and Timaeus sent him off with a shove to the small of his back. The gesture could've almost been fraternal if the tone wasn't punctured with finality.

Timaeus barked the name of a soldier and he came without hesitation. "Send for the physician," he ordered. "Have her come to my room."

The soldier gasped. He was about to say the physician was still treating the captives, but when the piercing gaze of that single emerald eye fell on him, he silenced. "Go!"

The soldier turned on his heels and obeyed, and Yugi trembled as he was once more left alone with the Trierarch. Then a shrill screech in words he couldn't make out boomed over the chattering whine of ship-hands. They cleared a path for its owner, like vultures scared from carrion by a lion's roar.

To Yugi's surprise, the physician was a girl. Raised among Sekhmet's disease slayers where a woman's gentle hand and fierce devotion in the art of healing was not uncommon, Yugi was unsurprised by her gender. But those were women, and she looked more like a girl.

When she arrived, Yugi saw that she _was_ a girl. With a round face, a button nose, and a spray of freckles across her milky pink cheeks, prettier than the chalky tans of the men or his and Timaeus' olive skin. Her eyes were a conundrum: childishly large, but hard and green. Golden hair, sun-bleached yellow, cascaded in a singular bound down her back and over the smooth globe of her bosom, perfectly proportioned to her small body. Nothing girlish there. She looked younger than him and none of the hem-netjer Yugi met had ever been _this _young.

Or this fearless. Kemet women never feared men, especially not Sekhmet's, but this girl swaggered through the gathering with a bossy stomp in sheer defiance of her size. A lithe wisp of a thing, but her presence nearly rivaled Timaeus' with its intimidation. She carried flawless power and easy grace of a lioness, and stopped every few steps to bark dictations on better personal care to selected soldiers. These soldiers were nothing but flies she batted with her tail.

In Timaeus' presence, the lioness retracted her claws and smiled like a kitten waiting to be petted for catching a mouse. She cocked her head in a birdlike fashion, gazing past her master and at him. Yugi expected hard eyes, but instead, she released a tiny shriek and spun Yugi around and shoved him back inside. Over her shoulder, Yugi heard her shrieking. "What in Hades is he doing up?!" She was yelling at Timaeus. "I told you: bed rest if you expect bone bruises to heal by tomorrow!"

Timaeus strolled ahead of her, saying nothing. Yugi caught him rolling his eyes. He shoved the doors open and took up residence against the wall, arms crossed in superiority and one leg braced the wall behind him.

The Physician shoved Yugi into Timaeus' room, yanked the cloak over his head and with a shove, he tumbled back onto the bed, then proceeded to remove a green glass bottle and a cluster of bandages from a leather satchel tied around her waist. Unlike the rest of the crew, she wore a simple, strapless dress tied crisscross in the front with silver ribbons. She undid two of them with a single tug, and tied her hair into two messy coils.

"Sit up." She sat down and leaned over him. He did so, and she grabbed his chin and gazed scrutinizing into his eyes. Left, then right. She squeezed his chin in a silent order and he opened his mouth. She released him when her examination was complete, then smiled. "You're a tough boy," she praised, scooping up handfuls of bandages that pooled over her fingers. "Not many can withstand a beating from a single Dragon Warrior, especially Lord Timaeus—let alone two."

"Don't call me 'boy'," Yugi snapped, more offended than harsh. "I haven't been a boy since I was twelve."

"Really?" She grinned over her shoulder at the Trierarch, gathering bandages and the bottle in her lap. "And how old might you be?"

He heard the joke, but Yugi answered anyway. "Nineteen renpets."

The cork popped off the bottle without the physician's consent, filling the air with a mildewing smell like dried leeks. Even Timaeus' eyes bulged. Abandoning the wall, he strolled forward, his shock recovered. "If your age is true, then why aren't you married? I thought young men came of age younger than that in your country?"

"They do," Yugi shrugged his shoulders. "But they're supposed to learn a trade first, and I was trained with my mother, so the opportunity never presented itself." Timaeus sensed there was more to the story, but knew Yugi wouldn't elaborate. "Besides," Yugi chuckled at their surprise and jerked a thumb to the physician. "She looks younger than me."

"Rhebekka, if you don't mind," the physician girl corrected with a hearty laugh, readjusting the bottle with a smirk.

"That doesn't answer my question," Timaeus said once more, crossing his arms in superiority. "If you have not been a child that long, why was one not arranged for you?"

Again, Yugi shrugged. "It just never happened, and regardless, it doesn't matter now." There was an easy smile as he said it, but the way he knitted his brows told another story. One that demanded silence.

Instead of anger, however, Timaeus' eyes sparkled with a challenge: bold as air and bright as danger. "I'd like to hear that story."

Yugi growled and squeezed the bed silks between angry fingers.

"Don't let him rile you." She held a hand to her mouth like she was whispering a secret. "He likes to make sport of teasing." She giggled, knowing full well he could hear her. Timaeus rolled his eyes with a sigh of annoyance and braced himself against his desk, looking skyward.

"Then again," Rhebekka teased. "When I met him, he'd just become Trierarch and made it his personal mission to drive everyone in his service to the point of sheer misery. His daily goal was to make everyone sick before lunch. Oh," she clasped her palms to her cheeks in a dramatic V. "Those were dark days for me."

Yugi laughed. He liked this girl.

"Stop conspiring, Rhebekka," Timaeus snapped. "Check his bruises."

"Alright, alright," she conceded with a pout and grabbed Yugi's sleeve. "Give me your arm!" Yugi nearly shrieked when she yanked down the shoulder, fearing it would rip. He exhaled in relief when it didn't. She unwove it with speedy fingers like a reverse weaver, and ran a finger along the pale, dotted flesh. He hissed when she touched them. The worst were black and purple, but most were a sickly yellow and didn't cause him much pain.

Rhebekka smiled like a mad doctor, her experiment a success. "My balm's working beautifully!" she clapped her hands together with glee. Retrieving the bottle, she dotted the yellow one with tiny drops, but lathered the larger ones before reapplying fresh bandages, then started making quick work of the rest, tearing down the rest of his smock as he did so.

Yugi protested the quickness, but she swatted away his hands. He caught Timaeus staring and tried pulling up his sleeve with a glare, then yelped when Rhebekka pushed up the hem of his smock, revealing his smooth thigh. Timaeus arched a brow at the other's panicked look, and watched him pull on the hem of his smock with desperate fingers. His thighs snapped together, despite Rhebekka's complaint. His lip trembled, pulled back by nervous teeth, and when Yugi looked at him again, the glare was marred by an almost desperate plea.

Sighing in understanding, Timaeus pushed himself off the desk and spun to face the opposite wall. His eyes slid close. "My eyes are closed now," he said with an unhappy patience, but smiled at the silence. It meant the little one was blushing. "I've told you before, you are under my protection and it means no harm shall come to you."

Yugi snorted, then growled under his tongue. "Does that include protection _from_ you?" He hadn't meant to say it out loud, but he'd heard it. Timaeus spun, but instead of anger, Yugi saw only… amusement? Apep's devils, that couldn't be good.

"That's enough, Rhebekka." He dismissed her with the wave of a hand. "I'll finish his bandages."

"Over my sarcophagus!" Yugi shot to his feet, and forced down a hiss when his sore limbs punished him with a rush of pain. He put up no resistance when Rhebekka shoved him down and forcefully pressed a hand to his chest, trapping him against the pillows. Her face was a warning growl as she gathered her things, but left the salve bottle and bandages on the bedside. But Yugi only glared at his captor.

To his fury, Timaeus only shook his head. Disappointed, maybe? The tiny smile hinted more at amusement, but his eyes sparkled bright with the hope of a challenge. He waited until Rhebekka left, then swooped in with slow, teasing steps, and it sickened Yugi how they made his heart pound.

"Be stubborn then," he challenged—his smile dangerously light with a chuckle. "But we both know I'll have no trouble holding you down. I'd prefer not to, but I will if I must."

"Oh no, you won't!" Rhebekka popped her head back in, one of her coils undone, the other in mid-removal, giving her a wild look. "I've already used up most of my salve on him because you couldn't stand the thought of his flesh being scarred, and I have to save the rest for the return home, unless Djanet's willing to share its rations with me?" Her whine traveled even as she pulled her head back.

"Leave, Rhebekka," Timaeus said in a flat order, and didn't move again until the door closed.

He took a seat on the bed and Yugi backed against the headboard, fingers tugging on the hem of his sheath. Fortunately, Rhebekka had replaced most of the bandages already, leaving only his opposite arm unbound. Compared to its twin, it was relatively clean save for the shoulder, littered with cuts and scrapes from being pulled and pushed over rough stone.

"Let me see it," Timaeus said patiently, gesturing with the curl of his hand, the bottle of Rhebekka's balm in the other. "If it'll ease your worries, I promise not to hurt you. I may be responsible for my men, but I am not them. And I gave my King my word I'd see to your care."

Yugi glared, but reluctantly surrendered his shoulder. He watched Timaeus' hands like Horus' hawk until he was done, and yanked his arm away and pulled up his sleeve. "I still don't trust you."

"Nor do I expect you to," Timaeus said almost in a yawn, it sounded so expectant. "But you have no need to worry about your safety or my men," he promised with an assuring smile that almost made Yugi feel hopeful.

"Because henceforth, you are confined to these chambers." And just like that, it died.

"What!?" Yugi shot up, fired.

"Until you are deemed fully healed, and after that, you shall accompany me wherever I go. That will be for your own safety," Timaeus continued as if Yugi hadn't reacted at all.

"I refuse," Yugi protested firmly. "Your King said I am a guest, and as a guest, I demand freedom."

"I'm aware of that, little one." Timaeus leaned back, balancing himself on one arm, his right leg crossed regally over the other. He seemed relaxed, almost lazy—his eyes half-lidded and entirely sure of himself.

Then he leaned forward, and with bright eyes, chuckled. "But I trust you like I trust a leech not to bite me. You've already fled once, and I have no guarantee you won't try to recklessly escape again."

"I thought I was being held captive!" he defended his actions. "What would you have me do? Lie still and do as I'm told on a ship of possible pirates and strangers?"

"Regardless of the reason," Timaeus said, his eyes brows knitted together over narrowed eyes. "You should never be willing to throw your life away." He'd said it like he'd contemplated it himself. It made Yugi curious, but just like that, the shadow was gone and he was the Trierarch once again.

"Now then…" He rose to his feet without the slightest uncertainty. "You will remain at my side until Djanet. You will not leave until Rhebekka clears you. As you are under my protection, you answer to no one but me. You fear no one but me, and only if you disobey me." He drew himself closer as he spoke, curling a forefinger under Yugi's chin and giving it a tilt with his thumb. "Which shall not be a problem unless you plan to play me false?"

Yugi wanted to slap the smirk off his face and he squeezed the sheets to keep from doing just that. He smiled like a cat—aloof and in control. All the crème was his and he knew it, and he flaunted it. But he was not some obedient toy. He would not give this man the pleasure of craving his attention, nor would he give it.

Instead of glaring, he smirked. His lotus eyes lit with lavender sparkles, igniting a challenge. "And if I don't?" he said, clear and confident. He would teach the cat to come when it's called.

Timaeus paused. His smirk didn't falter, but his thumb pressed tighter into his chin—the forefinger dragging it up with force. "You intrigue me, Yugi," he admitted with a purr. "I know not what your involvement in all this is or if you truly are only a simple sibling caught in the scuffle, but whatever your role, you intrigue me, and I'd hate to have to…" The pause was deliberate. "_Punish_ you."

Yugi was about to ask what he meant when Timaeus suddenly released him. He fell back in shock and Timaeus spun towards the door. He'd already left by the time Yugi recovered enough to process the words. With a pounding heart, he remembered the dark promises he'd made to his men earlier that hour and his spine curled in a shiver. He remembered the merciless way he'd dispatched his wayward rapists. He remembered the way he'd drawn his sword both times; of the viscous, metallic shriek—a warning and a promise. Both dark and final.

Yugi gulped, but his throat was dry with horror as he realized that _that_ was Timaeus' idea of punishment.

* * *

X x X

**Grammar Knight's Note/s:**

Apophis – another name for Apep, the Egyptian god of chaos and enemy of Ra, according to Chapter 3's notes.

Renpet – the Egyptian word for 'year', meaning that Yugi is 19 years old.

Horus – Egyptian god of war and hunting

X x X

How awesome was Timaeus' speech to his men? God I love writing him in those scenes! but I hope to show some other sides of him soon too ;) Timaeus speech was very loosely based on the articles of agreement in Captain Blood (the Errol Flyn film cool movie) specifically the tough but fairness of the trials and rules, and especially like his one about molesting woman since i could so see Timaeus doing that, but I made Timaeus' punishments a lot harsher for obvious reasons.

And as i promises a familiar face joins the cast ;) I hope you all like Rebecca ;) or rather Rhebekka (Aquagirl suggested I change the spelling since I couldn't think of any other name to give her that fit the time period and I didn't wanna change it) Originally i wanted to go with Ryou for the Physician but I wanted to be more original. Val suggested either Leon or Rebecca so I went with Rebecca cause given this is a ship full of sailors and soldiers I wanted someone tough enough to handle them and keep them on their toes so i went with her!

I gotta say i LOVED writing Rebecca! Boy have I come a long way since i wrote her in Dragon rose huh? But I gotta say after seeing her in Game Prix she really rubbed off on her and I love writing her! She's tough and doesn't take ship from anyone, she's intelligent and she's exactly who Timaeus needs to keep order: A physican does more than just treat the wounds...as you'll see soon ;)

plus let's face it Yugi needs someone to talk too, while he tries to keep Timaeus at bay ;)

I'm surprised this hasn't gotten as much reviews but I'm thrilled about the level of favorites and followers its gotten! I can't wait to see your responses for this one ;)

**_Next Time: _**Yugi adjusts to life on the ship—and being under Timaeus' "care": including dealing with a new "gift" and the man's rather _forward_ advances.


	9. Chapter IX: The Eye of Timaeus

For those of you who checked my profile, you know I've been at Outakon this weekend, which is why this is so late, but my beta got it back to me liquity split and its up!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot. Any and all characters related to actual people are fictional representations of themselves.

Dedication: To Tay for being the sweetest Hikari ever ;) she's waited 8 chapters for this one! and for Val foe being such an awesome friends and beta! And special thanks to all my reviewers, i've been getting more with each chapter which means the story is getting better and better! I'm so happy!

As always read, review, reply, ask questions, post theories and go nuts!

* * *

Chapter_ IX: The Eye of Timaeus_

Yugi didn't sleep that night. He couldn't. Not with his captor still absent and he was alone in the man's bed. He couldn't face the door, and instead, slept huddled against the wall. The bed was mercifully large and he managed to pull himself into a tight ball on one side, hoping the additional space would send a clear message. But in his heart, he didn't believe it. He'd feigned sleep and waited—each second was a thousand years in the heart-pounding silence of his panic.

When the door opened, he'd thought he'd imagined it. He'd hoped he'd imagined it, but was too frightened to check. The footsteps that followed confirmed his fears. His closed eyes squeezed tighter in fear. All he could do now was to wait.

He heard each step click across the wooden planks with alarming clarity. The click of clasps and the whoosh of armor being removed, the low thud as it was placed on the table. Then the armbands unlocked with a click and a metallic clang as they fell. Then the shin guards, which were followed by a soft stomp of the foot. The belt was last. Yugi's heart stopped, and for a moment, he wondered if he'd remove the under-armor as well.

Yugi covered his mouth to stifle a squeak. He listened, but heard nothing. His heart pounded in his ribs like a rubber ball perpetually slamming between two walls. He waited for the bed to eventually dip with the additional weight.

Except, it never came.

Yugi didn't know whether to be surprised or relieved. He might have been more relieved if the waiting hadn't been so torturously long, and he must've worried himself into an uneasy sleep because when he opened his eyes again, it was with the sudden jolt of waking and not having remembered falling asleep. And the other side of the bed was still empty.

Fear replaced with curiosity, Yugi climbed over the covers and searched the room. He half-expected Timaeus to have slipped in with him unnoticed, but there was no dip in the bed, and the covers unmoved and the sheets cold. Confused and curious, Yugi searched the room for his missing captor. Too dark to see, he ventured out of the bed. Morning light started blooming through the windows. The aftercastle's far bow was a wall of glass and the minimal light provided him a semi-clear view of the room.

He found Timaeus in the last place he expected: curled up, sound asleep, on a couch Yugi hadn't noticed was next to the desk. Yugi blinked, surprised. What kind of captor slept in the same room as his prisoner? Yugi didn't have any malicious intent towards the man, but he couldn't possibly know that, could he? Hadn't he already made a speech about not trusting him?

Yugi slipped off the bed and felt the cold floor bite his bare feet. Air swept through the light sheath: frigid, but bearable. He tip-toed to the couch, then stopped to take in Timaeus' sleeping profile. He slept in his under-armor, but the cloak was draped up to his chest. Curled on his side, his arms bunched under his cheek in a make-shift pillow. He looked calm, almost lazy. He breathed in shallow, peaceful breaths. His mouth was a serene smile and his brows relaxed, revealing an almost-childlike face. Now that Yugi really looked, his face was peaceful—calm and tranquil. Fearless. Worriless. To Yugi, he looked almost… innocent.

It didn't suit the man he'd come to know that day. In fact, like this, he looked almost kind. Almost… handsome. Yugi heard himself think it and wished he hadn't, but denying it was like saying the desert was cold in midday. It was simply a fact. Timaeus was simply beautiful. He didn't look Atlantian or Greek now that Yugi noticed. He boasted a warrior's body and knew how to use both its appeal and its strength. But unlike the broad-shouldered, muscle-bound warriors who boasted power, Timaeus was trimmed and corded with a strong, elegant strength. His voice was intimidation invoking both fear and pleasure—even Yugi couldn't deny the treacherous rush of desire he'd felt coupling his fear each time the man spoke. His face was the perfect blend of strong angles that hinted at Spartan ancestry and soft Antolian sensuality. His wild hair was enough evidence of some Antolian blood. Awake, he was power incarnate: strong, carnal, and elegant. But asleep, that same power—though by no means muted—was beautiful, tantalizingly so.

And even more so were his eyes: that single emerald gem that captured and displayed all of what he was and yet kept it perfectly concealed. That one was hidden beneath his hand, but its twin was open in full view—and at this angle, Yugi could see it for what it truly was: a horrible scar. But he was reluctant to call it ugly. Fierce, certainly. Terrible, yes—but instead of fear or disgust, it invoked sympathy and sadness. Where had it come from? What had he done to deserve it? If he deserved it at all.

Tentatively, Yugi reached a hand towards it. He traced the angry red line like the scratch of an animal's claw or the sharp bite of a blade. Was it a war injury? Then why had no one seen it? Was it an animal attack? Then how did he survive with only this? Just like that, Yugi was swept up in the myth of this man, and he felt no shame because of it, as he traced a feathery finger down the line of the scar and gently rubbed it with his thumb.

_Who are you?_ Yugi whispered.

"Does it bother you?" He hadn't seen the lips move, but Yugi heard him speak. A dark, clear resonance so deep it was a shadow of a sound, like a large cat's purr. Yugi retracted his hand like he'd been burned, but suddenly, it was snatched like a falcon ensnaring a fish.

A breath caught in Yugi's throat and froze there. Before he could fight, he was pulled forward and found his back lying on the couch. Timaeus leaned over him—his mouth a neutral line, his face grave and his eyes betraying no emotion. He asked again. "Does it bother you?"

Yugi gasped in horror and his cheeks grew warm with the evidence of his shame. He wanted to speak, but his throat tightened and words slipped through in choked breaths. His heart ricocheted in his ribs. He was certain he could hear it. And he was certain Timaeus could, too. He closed his eyes in a harsh squint and waited for a punishment that never came.

He opened one eye slowly.

Timaeus cocked his head to side, bemused—like a kitten unsure what to make of a new toy. He took in Yugi's bewilderment and smiled coyly like a sphinx. "It does not take much to make your heart pound, does it?" Yugi wanted to disappear.

Timaeus released him and sat up. He draped the mantle over the arm of the couch, and with casual ease, scooped his shin guards and boots on the floor and put them on. Yugi stared at him, too shocked to move. Like everything that just happened was a trick of the light, and the ghost was actually a shadow.

Yugi shot up and grabbed his arm before he could get up. Timaeus had the nerve to give a curious blink, genuine or not. He looked like he wanted to ask, but Yugi made an imperious gesture, and with Yugi's shock now a glare that was clearly meant to mask his shame, Timaeus silenced. With his cheeks still flushed and his teeth still gritted, Yugi demanded, "What… was that?"

Timaeus' puzzled expression vanished, and he freed his arm with a simple tug and gathered the rest of his armor. "Don't be embarrassed," he said. His words drowned in casual compliance as he dressed. "You're not the first one I've caught staring," he admitted. "And you won't be the last." There was a hint of accepted sympathy in that statement, and Yugi felt ashamed of himself.

"I wasn't staring," he rebutted, but turned his head with a bob of his chin. "I was just… curious… about it." It wasn't a lie, but admitting it was no source of pride.

Timaeus stared at him with hard eyes. "Do you want to know?" The tone was neutral, but the depth of his voice made it sound grave, daring Yugi to ask the truth. Surprisingly, he might even give it if Yugi said yes.

He pondered it. Curiosity bubbled in his belly, singing high notes at the thought of learning a secret—even if the secret was more fun when it was kept. After all, wasn't that the point of it? Wasn't it fun because of the creativity and mystery? And yet, knowing held its own reward. But this wasn't some simple background story either: it was meticulously well-kept and deeply personal. Did he even have a _right_ to ask?

"No," Yugi said softly. "I don't think so."

"Good." The deepness was childishly high and all earlier threats were gone. "Because I wouldn't have told you anyway."

Yugi stared at him, stunned and angry. "Then why ask me?"

"To tease you." He had the audacity to wink, the effect in no way marred by his single eye. His smile was bright and childish and made Yugi growl. Timaeus only smiled. Unlike Yugi, he looked fresh and all ready for the day's events. "You have no tongue for humor, Yugi?"

"Humor when it is appropriate," Yugi spat with the authority of a noble. "Not as an underhanded way of scolding a guest."

Timaeus only laughed, grabbed his mantle off the couch and threw it over his armor in a single, graceful swoop. "You're quite a spitfire in the morning, aren't you?" he said casually, clipping it in place. "I pity the man who marries you. Poor lad may not be ready for so much spice in his bed."

Yugi choked on a retort, and stuck his tongue out at him.

Timaeus just chuckled and snapped his armbands in place. "You should get some more rest. I'll send Rhebekka to check on you." He strolled out the door before Yugi could protest, but he could just feel the smile etched onto the man's face, like this victory was some sort of conquest. Yugi growled low in his throat, then grabbed a pillow, crushed it to his face, and screamed.

X X X

"Has he always been this… infuriating!?" Yugi asked Rhebekka with an aggravated click of his tongue.

"Oh yes... always," she said, unweaving the bandages without missing a beat. She had her hair tied once more into coils, with the silver ribbons she otherwise kept tied to her bodice. Yugi wondered if the simple gray dress was the uniform of Atlantis' healers. "Least, as long as I've known him, but I'm afraid I haven't known him that long."

That perked Yugi's curiosity. "How long have you known him, then?"

"I've been in his service about four years?" she paused and pondered sweetly, pulling another bottle from her belt. "But I've known him since he came to Atlantis. Almost… eight years ago?" She poured the contents into a cup of water. "Drink this."

"And before that?" Yugi asked, taking the drink. It smelt sweet like honey but tasted bland then oddly bitter and went down like sawdust.

Rhebekka shrugged. "I couldn't tell you. For all I know, he sprouted full grown from a dragon's egg. There's a reason the man inspires myth, you know," she said with a sparkle in her green eyes that hinted at mischievous secrets—more rumors and games than _real_ truths. In Rhebekka's eyes were the fantasy and the curiosity. In Timaeus' eyes, both the vibrant emerald and the scar _was_ mystery, revealing nothing—and what he did would never add up to an answer.

"Has anyone… well…" Yugi wasn't sure how to ask the question without sounding foolish. "Tried to figure it out?"

"Everyone's wondered," Rhebekka corrected, re-corking her bottles. "But it's a tricky prospect: the soldiers, both those who've been with him since the beginning and those who entered his service late, want to know what kind of man they serve, but all they _need_ to know is that he is their General and Trierarch, and the King trusts him. Anything else, as you can understand, they're too afraid to approach. The people of Locri know nothing of his background, but he is a good ruler and a kind one: it simply isn't important. Only his closest servants, me included, have asked. His fellow generals have asked. Even his past lovers have bragged that he only trusted them with the truth," she snorted. "But he'd only ever given us each a different answer and we know none of them are the truth."

She laughed and listed each one, flailing her hands in a dramatic performance. "'I was an orphan who stowed away on a pirate ship. I was a performance fighter who rescued the King from an assassin. My mother was a dragon and my father a human lost at sea.' The list goes on, some more fantastical than others. The only fact is that Dartz met him in Greece and Timaeus impressed him, and even the details of that are cloudy at best." Her laugh rolled from her throat, loud and dramatically stern. "Timaeus has been loyal to him ever since. And don't even _ask_ about the scar. He's a _master_ at evading that question." There was a hidden darkness in her tone, and coldness in her eyes that made Yugi's stomach drop. "We don't ask, and he doesn't say."

Almost too quickly, her voice brightened. "But that just adds to the mystery," she concluded with a wink. She examined his arms and he studied her work. Even the worst of his bruises were now pale and sickly yellow, and the rest had faded into his skin. Yugi smiled and tested his limbs; yesterday's soreness had faded that morning and now it was completely gone. Even the one swelling on his cheek had cleared. The room didn't have a mirror, but he could make out his reflection clear enough in the sun-lit glass.

"Looks like you're all set," she concluded, packing up her things and Yugi turned from the window to thank her.

"Make sure you eat today as well," she reminded.

"I will," he promised and grimaced, yanking on the hem of that revealing sheath. "I don't suppose you have any other clothes for me, do you?"

"As a matter of fact," she said in an impish tone, and pulled something else out from her bag and set it on the bed. "Lord Timaeus told me if you were able to be up and about to give you these."

Normally, he'd reject any gift from Timaeus as a matter of pride, but his curiosity perked, Yugi abandoned the window and hopped over to the bed. A pair of white leather sandals, elegant and noble, sat obediently on top of a folded garment of shiny black material that felt slippery under Yugi's fingers and was seamed with gold threads.

"He also had me request that you join him for the morning meal," Rhebekka said quickly, and Yugi's hand flew away like the cloth had burned him.

"What?" The sound he made was between a squeak and a disbelieving grunt.

"What?" Rhebekka arched an innocent brow. "You need to eat, after all."

Yugi arched a skeptical brow. "Will His Majesty be joining us?" Yugi asked.

Rhebekka didn't blink and shook her head. "Just the two of you."

"Then tell Timaeus, I apologize, but I am not inclined to answer his request and would prefer to dine in my own quarters," Yugi said in a flat command, but his expectations were dashed when Rhebekka's impish grin returned.

"I told him you'd say that." She sighed almost apologetically, but then she giggled. "So he told me that you are entitled to your choice, but…" She sang the word and held up her pointer finger, and Yugi's stomach dropped. "You will have to go to the mess hall and get it yourself _and_ you will have to go _exactly_ as you are now." Yugi looked confused, then his eyes expanded when her hand slipped to the clothes she'd laid out. "These _were_ for the occasion, after all?"

Yugi's face blanched and he looked at her like a child who'd been tattled on.

"Oh, don't look at me like that," Rhebekka giggled. "I like you, Yugi—I do—but he's my Trierarch."

For the second time that day, Timaeus made Yugi want to scream.

X X X

"You look lovely, Yugi," Timaeus complimented brightly through the crash of the door being thrown open with such anger, it hit the opposite wall and bounced up.

Yugi glared at him, unamused. Timaeus sat at the table in the heart of the aftercastle's main loft. The maps and battle pieces were cleared away and replaced with an assortment of native delicacies and goblets decorated with the popular lotus. The two chairs were stationed across from the other and the silverware was arranged accordingly. Timaeus occupied one with his hands folded under his chin, almost politely. Between either entertaining the Trierarch's ego and his dignity under the scrutiny of the crew, Yugi still didn't know which was the lesser of the two evils.

"Come sit, it's not poisoned," Timaeus encouraged with a gesture of his hands. Yugi arched a skeptical brow. "Give me _some _credit, little one," Timaeus sighed, almost bored, and placed a patient chin in his waiting palm.

Yugi rolled his eyes and dragged the chair to the opposite end of the table, studying it as he did so. Each bowl was an assortment of Kemet crops: dissected pomegranates, stained with juice and boasting shiny seeds like tiny rubies; tear-shaped figs fresh from the sycamore, pulp dates and oddly-shaped palm fruits split open to reveal their treasured pulp, and a bowl of rough barley bread packed into flat gritty cakes. The cups were filled with a sweet perfumed liquid like honey—dark in color and light in texture. "What's all this?" Yugi asked, sitting down.

"Can't a man invite his guest to breakfast?" Timaeus said almost chivalrously, and pushed forward the pomegranate bowl.

Yugi's face remained stoic. "And _this_?" He grabbed the skirt with a harsh tug.

Timaeus shrugged. "It looks lovely on you, and I trust it's more comfortable than a night smock." It was indeed a lovely garment: a rich black linen slip shot through with golden threads—the top cut to expose the shoulders and connected at the neck in a single necklace of gold cloth. It clung to Yugi's skin and hugged his lithe chest, but flared at the bottom—hugging firm hips and hiding sculpted legs. Coupled with the soft white oxen sandals, it was a lovely outfit. Or it could've been, if it hadn't been meant for a woman, which Yugi was quick to criticize.

"I apologize if the… style is not to your liking, but I'm afraid we're limited until we can restock in Djanet." Timaeus didn't sound apologetic and nudged the bowl closer to Yugi.

"May I have a knife?" Yugi demanded, his stomach rebelling against him, and Timaeus chuckled.

"You aren't going to try and stab me with it, are you?" He went in for the kill and plucked a date from the bowl and sank his teeth into it without remorse.

"No, I want to cut this dress into a tunic," Yugi snapped, fidgeting in his seat.

Timaeus chuckled. "I'm afraid I don't have the heart to ruin such a work of loveliness." Yugi growled, knowing he wasn't speaking about the dress.

"Now come eat, I'm sure you're hungry," he encouraged. "You clearly have no desire to impress me and I won't think any less of you."

Yugi stayed still. Timaeus pushed forward the platter of fresh pomegranates once again. It sat in front of Yugi like a piece of cake. Yugi could smell the honey-sweet juice dripping from its seeds. Yugi's stomach ached with desire. It was a taunt, he realized. A reward for good behavior.

Forgetting decorum, Yugi grabbed a piece and sank his teeth into the sweet seeds. Ruby juice dripped down his chin, but he whipped it away with his hand and dove into the fruit like a starving beast. He'd finished an entire fruit when Timaeus offered him some wine. Yugi drank it greedily in only a few gulps. "How far are we from the capital?" he demanded, wiping juice from his lip with his arm.

"No more than two days," Timaeus explained, pouring another drink. "More wine, Yugi?"

Yugi swallowed. "My name is Ujalah," he corrected.

Timaeus blinked. "I'm aware, but you seem to prefer it. Unless there is a reason you'd prefer I call you your given name?"

Yugi paused before he answered. "It was a childhood name—one of the many my siblings and I gave each other. It used to be just for family."

"Used to be?" Timaeus questioned, but regretted it when he saw Yugi's defeated face. It lasted only a second before his mask returned, but Timaeus had seen it, and he did not like being the cause of it.

"Sometimes family loses that privilege." He stabbed a spoon into another pomegranate and scooped out the seeds, but the message was clear and Timaeus wisely did not press further.

"My apologies." He sat back and took a small sip from his own glass, having eaten his fill before the younger arrived.

"Now, I have a question," Yugi said, taking the end of another fruit, this one whole, and ripped it open. "Why do you have your ship speak Aramaic?"

Timaeus pulled away the glass and stared at him with blinking curiosity. "Is it not the common tongue of the region? And as a General, should I not know the language of the lands I am visiting on behalf of my king?"

"Yes, but not just you speak it," Yugi noted, with a cat-like grin and a spark in his pretty eyes. "You spoke it the other day to your men. And in casual conversation with your physician, and with me—assuming I knew how to use it, which I do—but that is not the issue. So why?"

"You're very perceptive, little one. I have learned many languages in my travels as has Rhebekka—she's a bit of a prodigy, as you can see. As for my men, well, I stress the importance of the arts of invasion, and that includes knowing the language of our neighbors; both so we may capture the enemy and spare the innocent. Aramaic is simply the choice of the world at the moment."

"I see," Yugi said, unimpressed.

"Do you have any more questions for me?" Timaeus asked, and Yugi felt spotlighted under the playful gaze. Once more, the cat was playing with his favorite mouse.

"Yes, actually." Yugi matched his expression and grinned. "As your _guest_, I'd like to leave these chambers and explore the ship." It was not a request.

"That sounds delightful." Timaeus stood from his chair and finished his wine in a single swallow. "When you're finished with breakfast, you can accompany me on a tour of the ship."

Yugi paused in his sip. "That isn't what I meant," he growled.

"I know exactly what you meant," Timaeus chuckled. "But as you'll recall, you're under my protection, which means I will not be letting you out of my sight." He threw the smile over his shoulder, casual and matter-of-fact. "Now please," he spun. "Finish eating."

Yugi swallowed the wine but put down the fruit, unable to stomach any more.

X X X

X X X

The _Eye of Timaeus_, as Timaeus proudly boasted the name of his ship, was far bigger, bulkier, and prettier than any Egyptian bark. Yugi's spent much of his life on ships up and down the Nile, but while those thin, slender, single-masted galleys were perfect for transportation and travel—the largest parts were only ever the sails, the deck house, and the rudder post that controlled the steering oars. Even the Royal Barks, with their long rows of oars, were single-decked. They were _nothing_ like the monstrous beauty of the Atlantian ship, and now that Yugi was awake and calm and able to appreciate its beauty, he took in each detail with wide eyes and a baited gasp.

"Beautiful, isn't she?" Timaeus swooped up behind him, not even surprised, and ushered Yugi forward with a small push on the back of his shoulders. His body felt weightless and put up no resistance when Timaeus urged him forward.

Easily twice as wide as the slender galleys, with their short width and long hulls that he was used to, Yugi felt overwhelmed by the size. Overhead, a web of ropes and nets climbed to the massive center mast. A mizzenmast on either side sported a multitude of lateen-rigged sails that spiraled in triangular shapes like silvery and black dragon wings. Yugi stepped across the deck, becoming dizzy as the sails danced in the air above him. Curiosity drew him up the foredeck atop the forecastle where the sculpture of a massive dragon lay. Its wings folded into the design of the forecastle's bow—its chest, neck, and claws protruding forward and its massive head shot forward, jaw opened and poised to strike: forming an elevated beak.

"Beautiful" was too much of an understatement. The _Eye of Timaeus_ was in a superior class of its own.

"What kind of ship is this?" Yugi asked in a voice that was all breath.

"A galleon." Timaeus stood behind him, his hands on Yugi's shoulders and his eyes beaming.

"Galleon?" Yugi asked curiously over his shoulder.

Timaeus' eyes glinted with sparkling delight, and his scar gave the impression that he was smirking. "In a way, its name is derived from the galleys favored by the South, but unlike your country's smaller, lighter designs, we've also incorporated the style of the eastern Carracks." He explained in a perfect purr rich with enthusiasm and delight. "Atlantis simply… perfected both styles."

"It's…" Yugi couldn't find the right word. The forecastle was half the size of the aftercastle suites, but high enough that Yugi could see over the edge of the ship, and the distance between himself and the Nile was unsettling. At least two-decked, the Nile was at least twenty _djesers _below. "Huge," he choked the word, wondering how it could glide so fluently through the Nile with such weight. "How can it float? The Nile is only a rod deep. How does it not hit the sandbars?"

Timaeus chuckled at his shock, his anxious fingers eager to point out the ship's masterpieces. "An excellent question," he chuckled. "We were fortunate to have arrived in time for the flood, otherwise I'd never be able to sail her down the Nile. The current for the most part takes care of the sandbanks, if we keep her in the heart where the water's the deepest."

"What about at night?" Yugi interrupted. No Kemet dared sail at night because of the sand dunes. Boats had to be hauled onto shore. It would take twice as many men as Timaeus had to drag this boat onto land.

Timaeus was quick with an answer. "Anchors," he explained to Yugi's bewilderment. "At night, we throw weights and hooks into the water so it keeps the boat locked in place. At dawn, we simply raise the anchors or cut the ropes, and we don't waste valuable sailing time by lugging it back and forth on land. And if that doesn't work," he added with a proud hand banging the side of the hull. "The hull is made from oak. It's strong and sturdy and can withstand the waters and the earth."

That made sense, Yugi thought. Galley hulls were weak but light, and meant to stay above the waterline to avoid the sandbanks: to do so, freeboards were usually kept low. It made the galleys fast and maneuverable, but much more vulnerable to rough waves and weather. A stronger hull avoided that problem.

"She's also elongated," Timaeus continued, boasting the ship's beauty. And Yugi leaned forward to look. He saw the hull was painted turquoise to mimic the green Nile and, Yugi assumed, the sea. "A lowered forecastle like this one," he gestured an arm to the aft, "A square tuck," Another arm pointed to the aftercastle. "And a hull that's longer, lower, and narrower creates much greater stability and reduces wind resistance." He spun and fanned his arms in a heavenly gesture to the whole of the vessel. "Makes for perfect maneuverability. But…" He spun to Yugi and smiled, aloof and secretive. "Her true power comes in the combination of her ability to harness the wind." He looked heavenward towards the billowing sails, and suddenly, Yugi realized there was wind blowing through him. "Sea." He backed towards the railing, and this time, gestured his arm below. "And strength."

Yugi leaned over the hull for a look. He wasn't surprised to see either side of the hull's flank projecting a row of oars, rowing the massive construction in tune with the Nile's Northern currents. Galley sails were squared for catching wind, but they were almost entirely powered by oars and man, functioning independent of the wind and Nile current.

"It's ingenious, isn't it?" Timaeus boasted.

"What about the oars?" Yugi looked at him confused.

Timaeus looked stunned for a moment, then explained. "Galleons, unlike Galleys, are powered entirely by wind. The sails," Again, he gestured to the spiral of lateen triangles. "Allow us to catch and alter the wind to work in our favor. However, as the galleys have shown us, it helps to have an alternative method of motion independent of air currents, especially if the river is flowing in one direction. Don't you agree?"

Yugi hadn't thought of that. Kemet's landscape was an oddity with the southern deserts elevated and the delta sunken. As such, the Nile flowed north from the large lakes of the south and its mouth fed the Delta basin before spilling into the northern sea. Traveling north was easy with the current, but south was a tricky devil without oars and rudders to steer.

"Since we're going north, we're fortunate to have the current on our side and the wind, but having my men offer additional assistance will cover much greater distance much faster," Timaeus finished, beaming with pride and turned to Yugi with a look of boastful satisfaction.

"Wait," Yugi looked confused and suddenly realized where they were. And who was not here. "Who's rowing the boat?" He looked around, just now noticing the deck was empty except for the two of them. He saw some hands moving about between the forecastle and the center deck, but it was completely absent of the company he'd seen the previous morning. "Where are the soldiers? The ship-hands?"

"My soldiers _are _sailors," Timaeus corrected. "Each one fights on the battlefield and keeps the ship moving at sea. I don't have room to waste for half-hands. Besides," Timaeus added with a devilish glint in his single eye that his scar illuminated. "Their quarters, toilets, and washrooms are below deck anyway. They rise at dawn, eat in the mess hall, and return to their work, and can simply retire when I dismiss them."

A sick feeling suddenly came over Yugi. "You mean... they _don't_ live in the forecastle?"

Timaeus grinned, not even having the decency to look surprised by the question. "Oh no, the forecastle contains only the infirmary and, on occasion, Rhebekka's rooms when the Quartermaster's room is occupied. The mess hall and kitchens are below it."

"They are?" Yugi blinked.

Timaeus nodded. "With a back set of stairs leading to the infirmary. Her orders. Nutrition and health do go hand-in-hand, you see."

Yugi did see, and it filled him with rage. So_ then I _could _have gotten my own food and not have had to deal with him this morning! _Yugi wanted to scream. _All's well,_ he grumbled bitterly. _I'd still have to go through the meeting room to get there._ He'd be in Ammut's belly before he let Timaeus see him walking about nearly naked.

"She _is_ beautiful," Yugi admitted, unable to sound reluctant. For all its beauty and majesty, _The_ _Eye of Timaeus_ was truly a magnificent and masterful piece of craftsmanship. "You have a right to be proud of her."

"Ah, I am." Timaeus' emerald eye danced with possessive delight and pride as he said it. "She's my pride and joy."

"I can see why," Yugi agreed, then chuckled rhetorically. "Though I doubt you can call her yours alone—unless, of course, you built her?" Yugi hadn't meant to initiate a challenge, but Timaeus took it as one and grinned.

"As a matter of fact, I did," Timaeus stated with his brightest and proudest smirk. Yugi looked at him with a disbelieving frown, but Timaeus' smirk only broadened. "As beautiful and powerful as galleons are, they're _notoriously_ expensive. Even Atlantis only has four. Our military vessels are much smaller."

That did surprise Yugi, because the opposite was true of Kemet ships. Kemet's navy was rarely needed, but it was an impressive number of ships—all constructed from stronger, denser imported woods that didn't exist in the desert or the marsh. Atlantis had access to various resources, but wood had always been rare and expensive—especially since Greece, one of the more forested areas, had several tree species associated with its Gods.

"That is why I am Trierarch, little one," Timaeus continued. "It is not just because I am Captain of this crew and General of this Army. I am the one who ordered this ship's construction and financed it."

Yugi heart leapt into his throat. "How could you afford that?"

"Volunteering, mostly," Timaeus explained. "The people of Locri were more than happy to assist their Governor in building a ship to protect them. I had not even been there a year and already, I earned that rank. I believe it's the equivalent to a Nomarch in your country."

Yugi suddenly felt dizzy. Rhebekka had mentioned something about Timaeus being a ruler but surely, she didn't mean… Yugi felt his weight lean against the banister. He barely noticed Timaeus slip next to him and catch him round the waist. "Does my newfound status surprise you?" Timaeus asked with a purr that made Yugi shiver, and he hated himself for it.

"It certainly explains your arrogance," Yugi chided with a smirk.

"I'm arrogant, am I?" Timaeus chuckled. His smile curved to a smirk. That same smirk that made Yugi want to clench his fist and scream. "I prefer 'confident'. Arrogance is a term for men with no honor and I admit I'm proud enough that I consider myself much more chivalrous than that."

Yugi rolled his eyes, choosing to ignore the less-than-humble response and shoved off the man's arm.

"Now I have a question for you, little one," Timaeus asked, pushing himself off the banister and strutted towards Yugi with an aloof smirk. It reminded Yugi of a cat sitting on the ledge, knowing full well its master craved attention. He stopped just in front of him. "Your sudden curiosity in the structure of my ship would not, by any chance, be an attempt to seduce military secrets from me, would it?"

* * *

Anyone notice the duality of the title of this chapter ;)

I dabbled with the end of this chapter SO many times before finally splitting it with the next chapter and then turning chapter 12 into its own chapter and so on, so I'm very happy with the end of this one: i wanted to keep Timaeus tour of the ship to this chapter so i was very happy about that.

**Glossary:**

_Djesers _— Ancient Egyptian unit of measurement; approximately 30 cm; the equivalent to one foot

Rod — ancient Egyptian form of measurement; 1 rod of a cord or 100 cubits, approximately 52.5 meters

**Nomarchs **— semi-feudal rulers who served as provincial governors over one of the 42 nomes (_sepats in Egyptian)_ into which the country was divided. While the Pharaoh often appointed the Nomarch, the position could also be hereditary. When central authority was weak, the Nomarchs often expanded their own power base to take on many of the functions of the Pharaoh, and it was more likely that the position would be hereditary. At times, they ruled pretty much autonomously and could afford to ignore the weak (or non-existent) central government. Naturally, they gained a lot of authority during the Intermediate periods.

**Note on Galleons:** I based Atlantis' ships on 18th century galleons, huge, multi-deck ships; primarily the Spanish galleons which had high aftercastles or captain's quarters and were primarily merchant ships (which will make sense later) but some were redone as war ships. Given they were first constructed in Venice, and Atlantis was known as the most advanced civilization of the day, I decided they would be appropriate ships for Atlantis. However, since they were RIDICIOUSLY expensive to make, I limited these to only three with smaller ships comprising the navy (the opposite of Kemet as Yugi mentioned). They could either be sailed or have oars, though many had both. Traditionally, Trireme revered to having three layers of oars but they made no sense to me, so I changed the representation so it referred to _The Eye of Timaeus'_ three decks, and Timaeus' Title was accurate.

In addition to Timaeus' compliment, the Trierarch wasn't just the ship's naval commander, but also the one who was required to pay for the ship's outfitting and maintenance. For this reason, they primarily ruled only one ship.

**_Next Time: _**Timaeus and Yugi have an interesting conversation and Dartz asks Timaeus an important question.


	10. Chapter X: Chivalry

Ten chapters in little over two months! Holy Smoke that's a new record for me! Since the last chapter was posted pretty late, I decided to post this one early for you guys ^^

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.

Dedications: To all my reviewers! you have no idea how much your favs, comments and follows inspire me! I am so happy with the reception to this story!

* * *

_Chapter X: Chivalry_

He'd purred the words with a bird-like cock of his head—the almost innocent gesture only amplifying the sultry tone.

He was teasing again and Yugi knew it, but he didn't shy away from the challenge. Instead, he gracefully avoided his touch like a cat avoiding grabby hands. "Firstly," he chided, "I have no interest in military secrets—Atlantian or otherwise. Second," he said, hard and sarcastic, determined to prove who exactly was the cat in this game, "I'd rather seduce a toad."

"Really now?" Timaeus leaned up, words high with mock surprise and sharp eyes bright with mischief and scheming. "It would have to be quite a handsome toad."

Caught off by the response, Yugi felt his cheeks burn. He turned around and was caught off-guard by the sudden closeness. "I can't see anything less attracting you." The Trierarch purred the words and Yugi forgot to breathe. His heart hammered in his chest.

"A-Are you trying to court me?" Yugi said with a hiss of disapproval, but it lacked the desired effect.

Timaeus chuckled and smiled, the tension suddenly lightening. "Believe me, little one," he leaned in closer, and a finger curled under Yugi's chin and lifted it slightly. Yugi felt another shiver run up his spine, but he couldn't tell if it was disgruntlement or—dare he admit it—delight. "If I was trying to court you, you'd know."

A breath caught in Yugi's throat when he met Timaeus' eyes. The close proximity highlighted every detail of the Trierarch's face: every sharp curve that arched his nose and tilted his cheeks on an angle, like a curious owl. Every smooth line that curled his jaw into a hybrid of a smirk and a smile. The defining black arch of his brows and thick lashes accentuated the blazing light in his emerald eye, and the red slit of his scar. He couldn't deny it—even if Yugi wanted to. Timaeus was simply beautiful.

And worse, he did nothing to hide it. Or accentuate it. It was simply there—simply a fact. Yet instead of muting this beauty, it only seemed to craft him in a different light. A sort of stripped-down elegance that was just as stunning, perhaps even more so because it was real. It was neither flaunted nor competing against elegant jewels, fine silks, or beaded wigs. It made Yugi wonder what he must've looked like when he was younger, when he was past maturity and not yet flawed by age—if age had touched him at all.

Yugi broadened his back and donned a stoic smirk. "Would I?" he asked, swallowing a lump caught in his throat. Timaeus' smile curled, but it wasn't the cat-like grin that boasted control and left Yugi frazzled for losing. It was more of a smile. Genuine and sweet, and his eyes had softened like a lover's. Only now did Yugi realize just how close they actually were. Their noses were barely touching. All Timaeus had to do was lean in and…

"Yes." Timaeus slid next closer. His words were a sultry purr. He bowed his head, and Yugi closed his eyes and parted his lips slightly, waiting. "You would."

"Rather than being boldly forward…" Timaeus spun around and Yugi's eyes shot open, suddenly feeling lost and dazed. He blinked in curiosity and spun around, then round again. He caught Timaeus' retreating back and swaggering step. "My approach would be to compliment your appearance and personality." He leaned against the deck railing with a casual push of his back—his arms arched in an upside down V behind him, giving him a relaxed and regal look.

Once it was clear that there was no kiss coming—nor had their ever been one—Yugi shook his head and leaned against the opposite banister, grateful for the distance. Mostly to clear his ravaging mind. What was he thinking? It didn't matter how handsome the man was, he _knew_ better. To save face, he grumbled and fought down the heat he knew was rising in his cheeks.

"Really," he grumbled and kept his face stoic. "And what would that be?"

Timaeus eyes lit up with the challenge and he chuckled almost sweetly. "Well, I'd start by stating how lovely you look. You prettiness is so smooth, elegant, and innocent. Exotic, even by Kemet standards. Your cheeks are so round and sweet, and they look just _dazzling_ when you blush, and they seem made just for smiling—despite the fact that you always seem to keep it in a scowl. And, of course, one simply cannot deny that your eyes are stunning." He pushed off again and strolled over to him, only this time, he knelt down to meet Yugi's eye level.

The boy's blushing face, determined to be stubborn, met Timaeus'—which was set in a charming smile. "I've never seen such a lovely shade of purple. Makes me wonder if those fabled blue lotuses your country is so famous for could even compare."

"Oh." Yugi looked away, determined not to be held captive by that smile again. He already felt embarrassed for falling so easily before and felt stupid for the odd sensation of confusion and expectation. "T-Thank you?"

"'Tis the truth, little one," Timaeus said kindly and earnestly. When he pulled away, he was still smiling and looked at Yugi with a proud gleam. "I'd also state how much I admire your sharp wit, how your will is as strong as a dragon and twice as fierce, no doubt—and despite your less-than-pleasant experiences in the temple, you still cared enough to warn them of our arrival."

Yugi's eyes flew open at that, and he stared at him with wide eyes, his brows vanishing beneath his bangs.

Timaeus smirked. "Don't think I didn't notice you in the desert, or again, in the heart of the temple. You're impossible to _not _notice. But I think that decision says a great deal about you."

Yugi was about to thank him again when a dark thought filled his mind. "Wait, where _are_ the priests? Dartz said your mission was capture and rescue. It couldn't have been just about me, right?"

Timaeus frowned. "You are correct, little one—it was not just about you. Our orders were to apprehend the High Divine Servant of Amun and the Divine Adoratrice, and anyone else they had allied themselves with. Before I apprehended you, my men had already secured every man, woman, and child living within the temple and escorted them onto the ship."

Yugi's heart sank. "You imprisoned them?! Why?! Most of them were just servants or singers or simple priests! They didn't do anything wrong nor do they deserve to be imprisoned!"

Caught off-guard by the sudden outburst, Timaeus jumped back, his eyes widening in curious surprise, then his gaze softened and he smiled. "Once again, your reaction says a great deal about you." He said it as if to the wind, but in it was the intimacy of a whisper. "You can rest easy, little one. Everyone is safe. My men were given strict orders that no one was to be harmed. Anyone injured during the crash, Rhebekka is treating, and since only a handful of people were there, anyone able to was put to work helping her in the infirmary and kitchens. My King made it clear to them that they were to be transported to Djanet by the new Pharaoh who had given strict orders to secure their health and safety. They were much more compliant with that assurance."

A rush of relief swept over Yugi, but before he could expel his fears, a lingering thought disturbed him. "And the Divine Servant and Divine Adoratrice?" He couldn't bring himself to use their true names.

Timaeus frowned. "They were non-surprisingly less compliant. But they, and anyone else unwilling to meet their king willingly, was warned they'd spend the trip in the brigs next to the cargo hold. Any who chose not to relent are still there. And one sniveling bulk of a man whose cowardice disgusted me." Timaeus expelled a disgruntled snort. "So I threw him in there, as well."

Yugi couldn't stop himself from laughing. "That would be Siam—and you're right, he's a coward and a bully."

Timaeus arched a brow over a frown. "I take it you know him well, then?"

Yugi snorted. "Unfortunately. Whenever I skipped my lessons or chose to ignore them, the Divine Servant and Adoratrice would send him to fetch me. They only did so because they knew we mutually despised each other," he chuckled. "When can I see them?"

"I beg your pardon?" Timaeus asked, surprised, and his eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"The servants and the priests?" Yugi blinked as if the answer was obvious. "You said they're on the ship, so when can I see them?"

Timaeus felt an awkward flush rising to his face, but he quickly controlled it and coughed into his hand. Only fools made assumptions without observations first, he reminded himself. When he opened his eyes, he found Yugi staring at him curiously. Recalling the youth's early question, he replied, "They're in Rhebekka's care, so you'll have to ask her."

"She seems to possess a lot of authority, I see," Yugi commented with a sly smile.

This time, Timaeus grinned, his element restored. "Yes, she does. As a physician, she demands quite a bit as all my men owe her their lives, and since I've never met anyone half as fierce, she doubles as an effective First Mate." He spun to the steps, then to Yugi and motioned with a curl of his fingers for Yugi to follow him. "Come, I'll take you."

Yugi rolled his eyes. "It's down below. I don't need an escort," he complained, but followed anyway.

"Perhaps," Timaeus called, descending the stairs with the grace and casual swagger of a royal prince. He looked over his shoulder with a smirk that was almost possessive. "But can I help it if I like having your company all to myself?"

Yugi fought down another blush with a stoic frown, but it failed miserably. He was about to remark when a chuckle, low and smooth as relaxed thunder, interrupted them.

"I see you two are getting along." Timaeus spun and Yugi looked up. Dartz had crossed the deck with a serpentine silence and moved with the fluidity of one—regal and noble, but quick to turn deadly.

His gaze fell on Yugi and he smiled. "It's good to see you well, Ujalah," he said, bright and kind but regal. "I trust my General and his Physician have been taking care of you?"

"Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness," Yugi praised with a respectful bow of the head. The gesture and use of title surprised Timaeus; if his king was correct about Psusennes' claim, didn't that mean that Yugi himself was royalty? Even a child by a lesser wife was still part of the Great Royal family in Kemet's culture. Traditionally, only another king was of equal status to a king, but the king's family was immune to such formalities out of respect. Yet Yugi chose to address another king as someone of lower rank?

Yugi raised his head with a sly smile. "The Lady Physician has been very kind to me," he spoke elegantly, but with a sly smile like he was setting up a joke. "Your General, I'm afraid," Yugi paused, his smile wicked, but his thoughts scattered, "Is another matter entirely."

Dartz only laughed. "Yes, I'm afraid our mutual friend enjoys his ambiguity." His smile was aimed at Timaeus, who bore it all with an amused smile. "But I assure you, you won't find a more chivalrous man."

"Chivalrous?" Yugi blinked multiple times. Rhebekka had said the same thing. Recalling their earlier conversation, Yugi snorted. "Well, _he_ certainly seems to think so."

"And if you'll recall, little one, I admit to being proud." Timaeus pushed himself off the banister and wove into the conversation. He swooped to Yugi's side and a strong hand rested gently on his shoulder. "No one ever said a man couldn't be both." He purred with a wink and Yugi fought down a shiver. Only this time, he knew it was rage. How dare he! How dare he try and flirt with him in front of the Atlantian King! Chivalrous? The man had no shame.

Then at once, he'd pulled away and stood at Yugi's side. His hand was still on his shoulder, but his back straight and his face a neutral mask despite the smallest of smiles gracing his lips. "As a matter of fact, we were just about to see the Physician. Our guest is concerned for the rest of our ship's party."

Dartz's golden eyes flashed for a moment. "I see. I assume you told him they are well in her care?"

"I have," Timaeus began, but Yugi interrupted him. "I'd like to see them myself, thank you." He kept his voice civil despite the demand. Dartz smiled. It reminded Yugi of a serpent's relaxing after confirming a local passer-by was not an enemy.

"Understandable." Dartz nodded and slipped past them. "Since we're here," he turned to Timaeus, "May I have a word, General?" he asked, but in his mouth, it wasn't a question. Though his mouth was a small smile, his golden eyes were secretive.

A question formed on Timaeus' lips, but it was lost when Yugi shoved him forward.

"Yugi!?" Timaeus growled, annoyed.

"Please don't let me burden you." The kindness of the gesture was marred by the sheer glee.

Timaeus protested again, but Yugi was off before he could finish the sentence. "Dammit," he grumbled under his breath and ran a frustrated hand through his bangs. He sighed and turned to his King with an apologetic bow. "My apologies, Your Highness."

"No need to be formal," Dartz dismissed with a wave of his hand, his tone suddenly much lighter. Timaeus blinked and Dartz laughed. His eyes were once more on the spot where Yugi had left. "He's a sweet boy."

"He is," Timaeus admitted with a smile, then snorted. "But he's stubborn. Stubborn and proud. And his wit and will are sharper than a blade," he grumbled with reluctant respect. And yet Timaeus couldn't help but smile.

"A spitfire in true form, I see?" Dartz asked with a flicker of a smile.

"Indeed," Timaeus chuckled. "But he is not terrible company, I'll admit." Though the time had been short, he couldn't deny that the brat was easy to grow fond of. With his lovely face and wild eyes, he was pleasant to behold, but that wild tongue and fierce temper offered a challenge. And yet, it made him curious what lies beneath it. He hadn't failed to notice the small moments when Yugi would frown or shiver when he thought Timaeus wasn't looking. Like he expected to be struck at any moment. It was expected under the circumstances, but surely Yugi didn't find him _that_ intimidating? He just couldn't understand it.

"How long until we reach Djanet?" Dartz asked, his gaze suddenly neutral and looking over the Nile.

Timaeus blinked, caught off-guard by the sudden subject change. "Not long," Timaeus explained. "I suspect by nightfall tomorrow, if not shortly after dawn."

"Good," Dartz nodded with an aged sigh. "I'm hoping to conclude these negotiations soon. As pleasant as the desert is, and I can truly understand why Kemet adores her beauty, I must say I am looking forward to the journey home."

Timaeus couldn't help but agree. He was no stranger to life at sea and neither was his King, but it was a different love for their mutual home—and though Timaeus had only been made Lord of Locri for a short time, he knew a lot of the bond between King and country.

"I think we will all be happy to return home," he said with a smile. "And even more so in possession of a new ally."

"Let us hope." Dartz chuckled and leaned against the ship's rail. The Nile breeze caught his own sea green hair and blew small wisps about his face. "But I admit I'm more looking forward to reuniting with my daughter again."

Timaeus chuckled—light and full of heart. "Any father would be—be he a beggar or a king."

Dartz laughed at the joke. "She misses you, you know?" he said with a tint of slyness. The words caught Timaeus off-guard and he paused to listen.

"Before we left, all she kept asking was when you plan to visit the capital. Or when I plan to visit Locri. She claims that as future Queen, she must accompany me on all my exhibitions, but while I may be her king, I'm also her father. I can see past her tricks," Dartz concluded and turned to his general. There was a hint of mischief in his eyes and his face pulled into a mask of scheming. But Timaeus hadn't noticed it, becoming lost in his pondering.

It had been a while since he visited the capital, but he had his people to think about: ships and merchants to manage, local businesses who'd yet to pay their annual tax, festivals to plan, crops to harvest. And though his household kept the circulation flowing while he was away, he couldn't just take a day off and visit whenever he pleased. Still, he wasn't undone of the princess. She'd been one of his first friends when he'd come to Atlantis; her, along with Hermos and Critias, had welcomed him into their family when he'd returned with Dartz. They hadn't needed an explanation and just accepted him, but he still hoped to _earn_ a permanent place in their hearts—and he had. In her case, perhaps a little too well. He grimaced. It could never be the same as it was back then. But still, he missed her.

"I miss her, too," Timaeus admitted, oblivious to the surprise on his king's face. "Perhaps once things are settled, I will schedule a visit to the Capital." He had his eye closed and didn't notice the hope shinning in his eyes or his mask shift to one of triumph.

But the casual innocence in his tone was light and matter-of-fact, almost a laugh. "It'll be nice to visit an old friend." He spun around and descended the steps to the main deck.

He never noticed his King's smile drop to a frown.

* * *

Still not sure if I like the title for this one and its a little short compared to recent ones, originally i was going to end the last chapter with Yugi thinking Timaeus was going to kiss him, but i like last chaps' cliffhanger better and honestly when i broke down these chapters the layouts just fit, and I definitely needed to keep the section with Dartz. Hope you all enjoy the Yugi and Timaeus banter. Plus there were some major hints and foreshadowing in this chapter, any guess ;)

**_Next Time:_** Timaeus gets a _very _unexpected surprise and Yugi has a new role on the ship.


	11. Chapter XI: Defiance

Hoped to get this up earlier, but crazy morning!

I did a lot of research on ships and galleons for this fic and I made some edits to the previous chapters to reflect the changes to the ship. I literally redid a blueprint of how i designed the ship with the order and location of the rooms and buildings, so see below for the notes.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot. Characters are Takehashi's both manga and anime only (and i just realized there are a lot of anime only characters.

* * *

_Chapter XI: Defiance _

Timaeus couldn't have staged his surprise if he wanted to. At seven and twenty and used to the worst of war, he'd strutted into Rhebekka's infirmary numerous times, confident nothing would shock him. This had been no exception and yet here he was: frozen, arm still flexed, lone eye stretched vertically wide, eyebrows vanishing beneath his silver forelock, cheeks flat and the neutral line of his lips parted in a voiceless question.

The reason for his shock spun to unwittingly face him and stopped: a platter of bottles and bandages in one hand and an armful of towels in the other. Taken completely off guard, he inhaled a squeak, eyes blinking owlishly like an adulteress caught with her lover. Yugi's stomach dropped to his toes. The bottles jingled and some fell over as his hand shook, the towels immediately rose to cover his chest and shoulders, bare of all but the silver-ribboned bodice of the borrowed smock, identical to the ones Rhebekka used when she treated wounds—and thus was designed to be worn exclusively by a _woman_. Which Yugi was not.

Chivalry and respect command Timaeus look away but their demands were muted and his perfectly controlled body refused to obey. He was torn between laughing and chiding, interest and annoyance. After the spectacle he'd made about wearing the dress Timaeus had picked to reflect his status, here Yugi was _willing _wearing one of Rhebekka's smocks?

The witnesses to the spectacle soon included the whole room, and had gone quiet as a roaming storm. The Physician looked up from the patient she'd been treating, annoyed when her extra bandages had yet to arrive. She met the scene with a deer's inquisitive eyes, looking from Timaeus' stark shock and jilted annoyance to Yugi's mortified disbelief that he made no effort to conceal, and rolled her eyes.

"If you two are going to stare at each other all day, can I at least get my bandages?" she held up her hand and curled the fingers.

Reality crashed into them both: the mutual spell between them shattered like glass and the reality that set in was more striking and humiliating then the previous episode. Yugi spun to face her, his fair cheeks crimsoning and doing nothing to hide the color. Timaeus blinked then coughed into his hand, and she thought she saw his tan cheeks turn pink.

"Sorry Rhebekka," Yugi apologized surprisingly level and practiced dignity and control. Stepping back into the role of a Sekhmet priest, he set the platter down on the table next to her and laid the towels down next to it. He turned to the servant girl whose cheek he rubbed with balm and bandaged, and a boy who had a cut on his forehead but showed no other signs of trauma after he'd awoken that morning and Yugi checked his eyes for a concussion.

Only when their health was confirmed did Yugi turn to Timaeus with a glare. "Why are you here?" He accused like Timaeus very presence was an annoyance, his face creased in a frown and his bottom lip protruding. But the Trierarch's ears and eye were sharp and he caught the embarrassment pinking his cheeks, the stutter in his voice and the way his shoulders shook.

With an affectionate smile and his lids sultry sliding half-closed, he said "You're quite adorable when you're angered, did you know that, little one?"

Yugi gawked at him then his eyes were set afire, blazing like amethysts in the sun. "I beg your pardon."

"You're like a kitten trying to be a wildcat." He continued, gaze electrified and his smile curled with a twinkle of amusement. "All frazzled and teeth and claws."

But never enough to be a real threat, Yugi understood.

Timaeus single eye sparkled like a galvanized emerald, and the jagged line of his scar shinned dangerously seductive. Suddenly, the gaze slowly descended, smoothly, from Yugi's face to the curve of his bare neck, the arch of his naked shoulders, the line where the bodice hid his pectorals, smooth stomach, boyish hips and slender legs, to his sandaled feet. Then slowly slid back up, smile curling hungrily as he did and settling on the firm, but trimmed muscles of his arms, and broadness of his shoulders hinting at hidden but fierce strength. His wrists were small and his hands smooth as if he'd never held a weapon in his life, but the fingers were firm and the knuckles calloused from numerous fights. Then he locked eyes with Yugi. The look lasted for several minutes. Timaeus' gaze was impossibly bright and devastatingly penetrating.

Yugi felt his own fire flicker and Timaeus smiled. "Especially dressed like that," he licked his lips like a hungry wolf, approving what he saw and hoping to taste it.

It took all of Yugi's will not to trip.

"May I ask why you're in one of my physician's smocks and not the dress I provided you?" He spoke in a clipped jibe.

The counter Yugi had prepared vanished when comprehension clarified the words. At first, he though he misheard it, but the dark spark Timaeus failed to mask was there beneath the burning green depths: the look of a jilted suitor.

Yugi cocked his head with a lop-sided grin and rolled his wrist. "Well, I _was_ looking for a blade to cut the damn thing, but when I found so many fellow comrades wounded and the Physician working to her bones, I offered my assistance," he resisted a laugh when Timaeus' wolfish masked twitched. "But, of course, she refused to let me help unless I wore one of these wretched things," he tugged at the bodice's hem, shamelessly. "Something about the other one being the only outfit I'll have, but I was _more_ than happy to make the sacrifice."

"Ha!" The laugh rolled off Rhebekka's tone, clear and obvious she'd archived the entire conversation without missing a beat in her work. "I forced him to change because he was going to be around blood." She chuckled, wrapping the arm of a rather young hem-netjer, who looked shocked to paralysis by her boldness. "I don't really care what the Trierarch and his guest do in the privacy of his quarters, but I'll be damned if I let anything that could lead to an infection spread in my infirmary!" Yugi spun to her, face stark with shocked betrayal.

She looked over her shoulder, green eyes snickering over the jewel-encrusted spectacles resting on her nose. She raised her chin to Timaeus whose eyes molted like the emerald sea just before it broke into a violent storm. "You know he asked me if he could cut that thing too? Kept complaining about wearing woman's clothes, but I'm the only Physician, so he had no choice. He's quite the physician though, then again I expected no less from the son of the living Sekhmet." Her praise did little to soften Yugi's rage towards his only ally.

Behind him Timaeus snickered. "I'll leave him in your care then, Rhebekka," He turned to the door. "I only came to check on him."

At the words, Yugi's fingers snapped, and his hands curled into fists, violet eyes fuming. "_I_," Defiance rolled off his tone in clips "Don't need a caregiver, least of all you." The snap was harsh and sharp, and made the room gasp. Even Rhebekka's eyes lifted.

Timaeus turned around and met the defiance with a frown. "You think that's true, Yugi?"

Yugi's mask remained neutral and hard. "My wounds have all healed, and your King only ordered you to protect me. I can do that myself, so no, I don't need your help. I am not a child, nor have I behaved like one. I demand you stop treating me as such!"

Saucy. It was the first word Timaeus could think to describe him that fit. Bold, wild, and full of spunk, coupled with that fervent determination to be in control. Oh yes, saucy, described his little Yugi perfectly. "I thought I made that perfectly clear when your safety was first entrusted to me." He said crisp, clean and straight to the point: neither answering the question nor dodging it.

Yugi's eyes narrowed, his fingers curled tightly into his palm and shook. "You don't trust me."

"No, little one, I don't," Timaeus said with a narrowed eye, the other a dangerous slit. His face was neutral and his frown hard. "I don't trust you not to risk yourself and attempt to fly with broken wings."

"That was circumstance," Yugi argued, defensively. "And I do not regret the attempt since I standby what I said, regardless of what your noble intentions, I knew only your reputation and I had no reason to consider you an ally."

"And you still don't," Timaeus finished, cutting him off with a harsh snort. "Ironic, how the one thing you ask of me you are not willing to bestow yourself."

Yugi's mask remained stoic, but the twitch in his shaking fingers betrayed him. "That was different."

"Indeed it was, Timaeus interrupted smoothly. "You already tried to flee once because you didn't trust me. What guarantee do I have you won't try again? Your will is too rash and your skull too thick. _I, _however, have given you no reason, _not_ to trust me."

Yugi glowered. "Then you're even more arrogant than I thought." His voice was a whisper, low and sharp. "You say I'm a guest but I'm little more than a glamorized prisoner."

Timaeus glared at him. For a moment he looked conflicted, then sighed and shook his head with a patronizingly amused smile. "No, little one, you are not. They," he gestured an arm around him, "Are glamorized prisoners as you've so lightly termed. _You_, however," He paused and leaned forward, his fingers slipping to curl over the hem of Yugi's bodice and with a sharp tug pulled him directly level with his penetratingly lustrous gaze. The same gaze that sent a treacherous shiver of surrender down Yugi's spine and stole all his will to fight. "Are _mine_ to protect."

Timaeus released him. Yugi remained still. Timaeus turned around and over his shoulder said "I'll return after dinner, until then, he's yours Rhebekka." Timaeus didn't wait for an answer, and shut the door tightly behind him. Once the thick wooden barrier was between them, he collapsed against it. Unable to keep it with in his chest, he bellowed a snort: snort that quickly evolved into a hearty chuckle and finally exploded in a voluminous laugher so rich and humorous that down below, every sailor and soldier stopped to listen. It lasted so long and roared so loud and booming, for an instant they feared their Trierarch had gone mad.

"Great Leviathan!" Timaeus roared his amusement to the Gods. "That boy is a challenge!"

And he enjoyed every minute of it.

X X X

It had felt like ten years, Yugi had stared frozen at the door. In reality it couldn't have been longer than ten seconds. His nerves shot, unable to process what happened and struggling even more to accept it. His face crimsoned and his eyes bulged, slowly understanding. His hand suddenly flew to his chest like he had been burned. The area still warmed from Timaeus' gloved fingers. _Why that blasted—_

Remembering where he was, he controlled himself, and sought a place to escape before he could humiliate himself. He found the descending flight of stairs in the back and stomped to the mess deck a layer below.

Rhebekka watched the whole debacle with a relaxed amusement, counting in her mind, as Yugi no doubt searched for a pot to scream in. Her tease of a Trierarch was weaving his spell a little too well, this time. There was a muffled roar of anger and frustration just as Rhebekka finished counting. The boy returned a minute later: face still red and eyes still angry, but stood solid against the wall. Rhebekka finished bandaging her last patient, grabbed her supply satchel and strolled over. Yugi saw her coming and caught her smirk, and felt his pride wound further. He felt like a child and chided himself, and uttered curses on the cause of his frustration.

"Vexing," he grumbled.

Rhebekka froze with a bewildered blink. "Beg pardon?"

"Vexing," Yugi repeated ringing his fingers. "It is the only way I can describe that man. Completely, utterly and uncontrollably vexing!"

Rhebekka's smile curled with amusement, she looked over each shoulder, before leaning forward to whisper. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were sweet on him."

Yugi gawked. "I—what?"

Rhebekka giggled. "Oh don't be embarrassed. You're not the first to find his rugged mystery appealing. Mine was horrendous when I was a girl."

Yugi blanched. "N-no, that's not—" He paused at the echo of her words. "You were one of his lovers?" He barely chocked the words out.

Rhebekka roared laughing. "Oh heavens no, I'm _much_ too young for him, besides it would've made out ship lives _very _awkward if you catch my meaning."

Yugi did and said nothing.

Rhebekka leaned against the wall with a cat's grin. "You like him. Don't deny it."

"Where'd you get that idea?" Yugi snorted. His cheeks pink.

Rhebekka's smile was intellectual but cunning. "I've been the youngest of my company since I was a child. People mistake me for a child, despite my advances, but that is their biggest flaw. When people think you a child they mistake you for being naïve. They get careless with their words and their gestures. I know people, Yugi, all I have to do is listen, and they'll tell me everything."

"And what have I betrayed about myself?" He demanded, harsh.

Rhebekka smiled. "Right there," She pointed. "I bring up the subject and you twist it to something else. You get defensive almost immediately. It's because you don't want to admit you find him appealing. So instead you mask it with a witty remark, but you can't hide your blush." Her lashes slid and her smile curled.

Yugi stood still as stone, listening but not commenting. His gestures, though he tried to restrain them, spoke for him.

"I think" Rhebekka smiled, her chin falling to rest in his open palm and balanced it on a jiggling elbow. "Secretly, you enjoy his attentions: you're humbled by his acts of kindness, but they frustrate you because you think he's boasting. You're flattered by his praise, but refuse to acknowledge it because you believe it to be only teasing. And you find yourself attracted to him, but you fight it because you believe his charm the mask of a rake. Am I wrong?"

She wasn't but Yugi did his best not to betray that fact. He didn't need to. "You're imaging that."

Rhebekka's giggled, loud and clear. Her confident smile told him she already knew. "I'm your friend Yugi; don't friends talk about that sort of thing?"

"Girls might," Yugi snorted. "But I don't gossip."

Rhebekka chuckled like a child. "I understand why you don't trust him, yet, Yugi. You simply," she paused and rolled the world off her tongue in a long, final syllable. "Haven't been around him long enough. He isn't wrong about trust being earned not given. I know you don't believe it, but he is trying hard to earn yours. Is it really so difficult to perhaps do the same?"

She was telling him matter-of-factly but it still sounded like a scolding. Even worse to be scolded from someone young enough to be your sister. Yugi thought, reddening. "Perhaps not," Yugi admitted but quickly added. "But he doesn't have to be so arrogant about it."

Rhebekka shook her head and smiled.

* * *

This was another split chapter, but it worked SO much better didn't it? I love Rhebekka, she really stole the show this chapter! And i hope you all liked Timaeus' "surprise"-at Yugi's expense of course ;)

Note on the Eye: I did a LOT of research on Spanish Galleons, Pirate ships (specifically the pirates of the Caribbean designs) and Ancient boats to make Atlantis' ships as advanced as possible but still set in this time period which led to me doing some rethinking of Timaeus' set up since it needs to be large enough for an army and crew but also light enough to sail in the Nile 9large boats could only be sailed during the flood) so anyway, here's what i got:

_The Eye of Timaeus_ is a trireme galleon, which means its three masted, and three decked including the main deck and has a higher after-castle and helm, and a smaller forecastle. The Forecastle is the front or bow of the ship, which is normally used as living quarters for the crew but this was removed to make the ships faster: instead, the Timaeus has the infirmary in the forecastle (which I thought made sense since you can bring injured directly there instead of having to lug them up and down stairs), beneath the infirmary is the mess and galley where everyone eats that can only be entered through the upper stairs. The second level is the berth deck: where the crew sleeps, on The Eye, since the crew needs to go right to work, they sleep in hammocks then go right to work either getting ready for battle or rowing the oars. And directly beneath the after castle are the crew's toilets and the magazine where the armor and weaponry is stored: this gives the soldiers easy aspect when they're preparing for battle, and its well guarded by the whole army. The bottom level is the storage deck: from the bow to the main mast is the storage shelved, then the ship's pumps and in the far back beneath the magazine is the brigg or jail.

The top layer is the main deck, with the main mast, in the front is the forecastle, and in the back is the after-castle: this is where the Great Cabin is, but i redesgined it, so it includes not just the Captains quarters and bath but several other rooms: the first room is the state room which doubles as a navigation room for battle plans and the captain's dinning room: this is where the captain keeps all his treasures, prizes, equipment etc. directly behind it is the Captain's room which takes up half the space and the left half is the Quartermaster's chambers and a joint bath. On either side of the after-castles entrance are two stairs to the helm, where the steering is. Originally, i was thinking of putting the navigation room up there but thought that would be impractical so I went with the back of the helm being the ornament back of the ship. So that's the design i came up with for the interior. The Exterior you all got and i hope this clarifies some stuff, that'll be important later in the story.

Until then, as always read, review, comment, ask questions, post theories and just go nuts!

_**Next Time:** _ Yugi decides to take Rhebekka's advice, Timaeus shares a secret and Yugi's living arrangements come into question, and something happens that has the whole crew talking!


	12. Chapter XII: Kindling

12 chapters posted in 90 days! I never thought I'd be able to accomplish that!

Little warning updates, will still be primarily weekends, but I've started working and the last two weeks they had me work Friday so expect updates in the early to late afternoons.

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Dedications: To all my fans, followers, and reviewers! you guys inspire me so much! Also special thanks to Sakura-chan and Val who helped me through writer's blocked and inspired three more chapters!

As always read, review, critique, comment, ask questions, post theories and have fun!

* * *

_Chapter XII: Kindling_

Yugi spent the rest of the day in Rhebekka's infirmary. It hadn't taken him long to learn why she'd governed so much respect, and it wasn't Timaeus' confidence. Rhebekka's title as Physician was simply that. She commanded so much more. Despite her size Rhebekka used fury and knowledge as her strength. It was _she_ who held their lives in her hands every time the men saw her. _She_ who treated their wounds and her word that declared whether or not they returned to battle. _She _who decided what they ate or if they would at all. _She_ who demanded they bathe and wash their clothes, and treated the infections of those who ignored her wisdom when on a ship or in battle when infections and accidents could be deadly. The solders obeyed her rules and regulations on the ship as they obeyed their commander in the field. They owed him their loyalty and would gladly lay down their lives for him, but it was _she_ who they owed their lives. And she knew it. And made sure they never forgot it.

Timaeus could not have chosen a better Quartermaster. His duties were to the soldiers and ship-hands whether they were rowing the oars, preparing the sails or training on deck. But health and life be it treating wounds, preparing meals or disinfecting the ship was Rhebekka's authority.

And just like her Trierarch, Rhebekka was a hard mistress: when it came to her domains, Rhebekka missed nothing. Vegetables, not properly skinned and washed, were immediately discarded. Pots and plates not properly sanitized she demand be done again. No one dared enter with hands unwashed, or wore clothes that weren't clean in fear of her wrath. Diet, she declared was the key to health, but preparation was the key to diet, and cleanliness in both the kitchen and the infirmary was important above all else. The woman battled infection and disease with the ferocity of Sekhmet and the tactical brilliance of Timaeus on the battle field.

Yugi was no exception, and he'd spent the day switching between giving medicine to the most stubborn of patients, and serving everyone their evening meals. He was grateful patients ate first and the crew only when Timaeus dismissed them. No one else would catch him wearing one of the Physicians feminine smocks. Under Timaeus' order any House of Life member fortunate to survive the assault without injury or deemed healed and able to work was left in Rhebekka's care and she'd put all but those who were trained as physicians to work in the kitchens.

He could hear the roars of laughter and hammering pounds of the crew below in the mess, and breathed a sigh of relief that mess had a second set of stairs to the infirmary. He secured a bowl for himself and ate upstairs. The table and chair was by no means as spacious or as elegant as the one he'd shared with Timaeus that morning but it was enough for him to enjoy the meal—a stew of thick vegetables, salted meats and tasty broth.

He'd been content to stay all night but Rhebekka insisted she needed no more help and there was more than enough people to clean the dishes and sent him off to wait for Timaeus. Yugi hadn't missed the sly grin as she said it. Now, he found himself standing on the decks once more redressed in Timaeus' clothes and braving the winter air.

He leaned against the ships railing and stared over the darkening waters bathed in the burning mesh Amun's reflection before he descended into the underworld for another night. Timaeus had yet to fetch him, but Yugi wasn't complaining about the broken promise, but now it left him alone and confused if he should return to his rooms. Another thought disturbed him. He didn't have a room. The King occupied the Quartermaster's loft and Rhebekka made a habit of sleeping in the infirmary, he'd be damned if he shared a hammock with the crew. That left only Timaeus. He certainly couldn't impose on him there again. The only thing he could ponder was the couch in the State Room.

Yugi's blood ran cold. Timaeus parting words returning like a vengeful specter. _I'll return _after_ dinner._ Yugi chocked on air, spun around and leaned against the banister, clenching it with tight, white fingers. He covered his mouth, his throat suddenly felt tight and very small.

"There you are," Yugi jumped a good foot in the air with a screech that doubled as a scream and someone lunged to catch him.

"Easy, lad," Timaeus' voice rolled over him like relaxed thunder, surprised and a little amused. He took Yugi's hand and in his shock allowed himself to be led away. "Come, the ship is anchored and the night is upon us. Let us rest."

Yugi blinked owlishly, mind contemplating obedience. Oculars fell on the hand encased almost lovingly in his and narrowed to a shadowed plum. His feet found ground and he pulled his hand away. Shock more than Yugi's strength compelled Timaeus to free it. "You don't need to escort me everywhere. I can walk fine on my own."

Timaeus pivoted to the side throwing a fiercely irritated gaze over his shoulder, then spun completely and glared softly at Yugi with the full force of that brilliant stare. Then he pressed a hand to his forehead, his mouth a single line that released a calming sigh.

"Must everything be a constant battle with you?" His bass tone dropped like a low roll of thunder. "I'm not going to devour you."

Yugi's shoulders shook, his fight losing its strength with each purred promise. The blatant obvious he'd fought so hard to deny settled over him like a lifted fog, and he slumped, defeated. "I have to be strong. I have to fight." His limbs folded in on himself and he stared at his lap. "Or I'll shatter."

Timaeus knelt next to him, a hand placed on his shoulder, but his posture tensed ready to offer more if wanted. Yugi couldn't register his surprise at the action. He'd grown so used to the aristocratic glares, those tender motions and seductive advances, all mild and restrained, that the comforting gesture didn't surprise him as much as he knew it should have.

_He's trying to earn yours_, Rhebekka had said. _Is it really so difficult to perhaps do the same?_ It was, but not for the reason she thought.

"I was so spoiled. My father promised to never let anything happen to me and I believed him. My mother was everything to me and I loved her. And Pas and Muth and Menk and Maat were always there to protect me, and I let them because I didn't think the world could touch me… Now my father is dead. My mother is gone. And all I can do is grieve," he said missing a beat and unsure where the low, vulnerable voice telling his tale was coming from. It certainly wasn't from him. Not when he'd taught himself to expect betrayal. "Pas and Muth can't help me and I have to protect myself from Menk and Maat now." There was a soft pause and his next words were a chocked sob. "How are you supposed to go from having everyone to having no one?"

Confessing the truth did nothing to ease his trepidation nor did the stoic glare in Timaeus' gaze soften. Sometime during the story he'd taken to sitting next to the smaller and now directed his neutral mask towards the sky. Guilt set in as well as shame. And regret, Yugi felt it burning in his heart. That he'd confessed something so personal to someone who knew nothing of loss and sacrifice.

"You don't," Timaeus confessed with a softness that was like a bird's wing across Yugi's cheek. Yugi looked up at him in surprise, but the man's gaze had not left the sky. "You can't, you can only stand up and keep moving." There was elegance as he spoke, like the specter of a past life had temporary possessed his body. "What other choice do you have?"

"You could find someone to help you?" Yugi suggested and they both snorted at his hypocrisy.

"You could," Timaeus chuckled. "There are many kind strangers in the world, but it's difficult to tell them apart from those who would destroy you."

"Was that the case with your King?" Yugi asked without thinking, but regretted it when Timaeus shot him a look so sharp he visibly flinched. "Sorry," Yugi broke the gaze and looked away. "That's too personal."

Timaeus pinched the arc of his nose and sighed. "I couldn't tell you," Timaeus said thoughtfully. "I don't know what I did to impress him, but he offered me patronage and I had no loyalty to anyone then and nothing to lose if he betrayed me." He paused to chuckle "And yet he didn't and it didn't surprise me. Perhaps secretly I hoped he was that someone to help me. I have no illusions had I not met him I'd be dead."

The confession was more than Yugi could bear. The information brought more questions than answers and solved no riddles, and only confirmed what he already knew. Yet to Yugi, it felt like Timaeus had confessed to him what he kept secret from everyone else and the truth of his past.

"Perhaps that choice was what saved me," Timaeus continues, as if he were alone. "The decision to let my guard down and hope that he was being truthful." He turned to Yugi and smiled. "It was quite a relief to be free of the burden of strength."

He couldn't disagree. He'd bore that burden since his father died. It seemed the only way to keep himself from falling when he'd lost everyone else.

"You're fortunate you'll be with your loved one soon. Then you can share that burden." Timaeus reminded and Yugi felt the gravity of it fall from his shoulders like a soaked mantle.

"I'm free," he whispered to himself.

"Yes, you are," Timaeus promised, leaning closer. "You're free and no one will ever harm you." There it was again that purred pact that made his defiance want to melt and surrender to all it promised. "The only one who can hurt you now is yourself."

It was a warning as well as a promise. It was _he_ who stood at the crossroads: not the King who he was indebted his life or his siblings waiting for him in a palace of sand, not even the infuriating and comforting Knight who held his heart and life in his hands so tenderly like a broken-winged bird ready to fly again. He, who made the decision of whether to melt into the pain of the past or take that uncertain step into the future. Whatever choice he made: it was his.

If he was willing to try.

"I suppose it couldn't hurt to try."

Timaeus rolled his eyes, smiling. There was that stubborn will, but it was softer now, more open and less defiant. It would do for now.

"I'm pleased." He said and rose to his feet with a serpentine leap. "Then let us rest, I fancy you do not wish to sit on the deck all night." He offered a hand and Yugi took it.

"No, I suppose not," He rose to his feet and followed him through the double doors between the afts two stairs, and entered the aftercastle's inner chamber.

The State Room, as Yugi now realized what it was, was a wide chamber section in parts and connected to the other rooms through a series of doors decorated with ornamented carvings. A combination of moonlight leaking through the windows and candles burning everywhere illuminated the darkness crafting a cool, shadowy feel that Yugi found strangely comforting.

Overhead, iron chandeliers swayed with the rocking of the ship, their iron rings covered in melted candles like the water swept towers of a monstrous sandcastle. Two tables occupied the center: one a long dark wood table and four ornate gilt armchairs, Yugi recognized from that morning. The food had been cleared away but the white table cloth and candelabras remained. The other a massive, circle sealed in place featuring an enormous topographic map and a series of module ships and what looked like game pieces. The left wall was a series of compartments housing scrolls of maps, constellation sketches, and other organized navigational tools.

He turned his attention away from them and searched the room for a place to rest but all he could find were the window seats aligning the far wall beneath the windows. It looked cruel compared to what he was used to but chose not to complain. "I suppose the coach will suffice."

Timaeus stopped outside the Great Cabin and looked at him with an owlish blink. "What is this then?"

Yugi shrugged like it were a simple answer. "Where I'll be sleeping? I certainly can't stay in your room again?"

"Of course you can!" Timaeus protested, and shoved the doors to his room open and gestured inside. "I'd be a horrible host if I let you sleep in there, now come." It wasn't an order but an invitation and Yugi followed.

"The bed is large enough," Timaeus said, lighting the candelabras, first the one on the night stand, then the one on his desk. He blew out the light, removed his mantle, and tossed it to the couch. "Besides," he removed the rest of his armor and added them to the clutter of his desk. "I'm used to sleeping on the couch."

"Absolutely not!" Yugi objected right in his face. "The bed is yours, I have no right to take it, if anyone will stay on the couch it's me, I'm your guest after all."

"And," Timaeus argued. "As my guest, it is you who will be given the bed, now enough squabbling." He spun Yugi around and ushered him towards the canopy, but Yugi would not go quietly.

"I refuse!" Yugi dug his heels into the carpet and threw the dispute over his shoulder.

"Fine!" Without warning, Timaeus bent and hooked his arms under Yugi's legs and middle and lifted him into his arms. Yugi shrieked and immediately protested the action but Timaeus dodged his blows, shoved open the canopy's curtain with his back and proceeded to deposit his beautiful spitfire on the bed.

"I am not taking your bed!" Yugi jumped up and marched over to the desk where Timaeus was putting out the candle lights.

"I'm giving it to you!" Timaeus said with enough finality that all his counters vanished. Satisfied, Timaeus opened and adjacent wardrobe and pulled out a silver under-armor identical to the one he worse but clean of sweat and the days dust.

"Where are you going?" Yugi demanded watching him banish into an adjacent room.

"To bathe," Timaeus explained. "I have my own washroom and toilet which you're welcome to use as you wish." He left without another word and Yugi collapsed on the couch in a huff.

"Fine, be that way." Yugi fished around for Timaeus mantle and pulled it into his lap. Stubbornly, he pulled it over his arms, undid the straps of his shoes, and lied down to sleep on the couch.

X X X

Timaeus emerged from the room less than an hour later, and donning a clean under-armor. He shook his head scattering raindrops and ran a hand from his now clean hair, free from salt dust, wood specks and the days dust. He understood immediately why Rhebekka insisted on constant bathing at sea, and deposited the drying cloth in the basket.

He arched his back feeling a swing of fatigue and retired to sleep. He fished around for his mantle, only to find it already sprawled across the couch—on top of Yugi.

"Stubborn thing!" Timaeus growled and fought down a curse. "Fine." With the greatest tenderness, he slid his arms under the sleeping bundle, stopping if he so much as suspected a stir. Tenderly he curled his arms around the boy's middle and lifted him into his arms. Grateful, the bed hadn't been made that morning, he set Yugi down on the mattress, removed his mantle and covered Yugi with the blankets.

"Now, then," He unfolded the mantle from his arm and spreading over his shoulders. Discarding his boots, he flopped lazily onto his back, mantle covering to his waist and let sleep's oblivion take him.

It didn't last long, however, when Yugi shifted in his sleep. Used to his lumpy cot in the temple, he'd molded easily into the couch's comfort, but now the bed felt too soft and the sheets much thicker than the mantle he'd worn. Sleepily he opened his eyes and curious fingers sought answers. They felt silk and feathers and Yugi shot up. Suspicions confirmed, his eyes shot to the couch in anger, where Timaeus slept, raggedly breathing and limps flopped about like wet cloths.

With an agitated growl and wicked smirk, Yugi slipped out of the bed stomped to the couch, grabbed the mantle and, with a mighty tug, pulled it out from under its master and sent Timaeus sprawling in shock to the floor. He landed ungracefully and hissing as his limbs ached. His eye opened, and he reached for a blade but stop when he recognized the black silk covered feet of his attacker.

"What?" Yugi taunted, arms crossed in a smirk. "No witty remarks?"

"You," Timaeus hissed and was on his feet in a single move. "Do you. Have. _Any_. Idea. How lucky you are I didn't attack you?" He set his blade on the table to rid himself of the temptation. "If you were an enemy…"

"Well I'm not," Yugi interrupted smoothly, ignoring the threat and point to the bed with stubborn will. "Now get in the bed right now!"

Timaeus' brows knitted together, his smile a twitch of barely restrained fury. "You're in no position to be making demands, little one." He stepped closer allowing his height to magnify his face like a lizard unfurling its frill. "I chose the couch, now get to bed, before I throw you over my shoulder and carry you there."

"Don't even think about it!" Yugi blushed, his whole body frazzling like a hissing cat.

Neither of them noticed how loud their argument had grown. Or that in their anger they'd woken the King who slept next door, and found himself in the State room determined to silence them, only to be caught up in the shock of the conversation. Their Trierarch's scream had awoken the soldiers, who were light sleepers by trade and on were on the main deck in an instant. The stampede had roused Rhebekka who ordered the staff who'd made beds of blankets on the infirmary floor to stay put while she saw to the commotion. They found themselves barreling into the Trierarchs rooms and stood frozen outside the adjacent State room, where the King stood stunned and they assumed the worst until they too heard the echo of the two occupants' ranting.

"It's your bed and that's that. I will not take it!" Yugi declared with finality.

"I said I gave it to you, what more do you want?" Timaeus groaned in frustration, then taunted. "Do you want me to tuck you in again is that it?"

"Be serious will you!" Yugi stomped his foot, face blooming crimson like an unfurling flower. "I'm trying to be polite and you make jokes."

"I never joke, Yugi," Timaeus corrected. "I am tired and fed up with this, now please go to bed so we may both enjoy this night?"

"You are impossible!" Yugi shook his head in aggravation.

"And you," Timaeus leaned forward with a dangerous purr. "Are far too stubborn for your own good. I am _this_ close to tying you to that bed and having it my way."

"Try it and I'll have you on the floor again, and then we'll see who gets it his way." Yugi threatened raising his hands and his fingers mimicked claws.

"Do not be foolish, Yugi," Timaeus leaned closer his singular eye blazing with emerald fire that Yugi's burning amethyst met spark for spark. "I am a seasoned soldier and you, I'll bet, have never worked a day in your life. There is _nothing _stopping me from overpowering you, if you're so determined to be stubborn. Were I less kind, you'd be on your back right now, or worse, over my knee."

"And if I were less controlled and twice as bold, you'd feel me in your stomach right now," Yugi boasted fearlessly "I'm not as delicate as I look."

"As I've _delightedly_ come to learn." Timaeus licked his smirking lips.

Their eyes locked the other in a contest of glares. Stubborn and unwillingly to relinquish their claim, completely unaware of the crowd their ruckus had caused outside. Of the shocked faces of Timaeus' men and Yugi's fellow temple hands that defied their mistress' orders and stayed hidden in the back to listen.

Finally, with a frustrated sigh, Timaeus collapsed his face in his palm and said. "Alright, alright, I'm tired of arguing." He pulled his hand away and looked at Yugi. His mouth was dropped, his limps heavy and his glaring eyes just as red and black-rimmed as his. "We're not going to agree on this, so let us compromise? What do you suggest?" He chivalrously offered Yugi the first choice.

Surprised by the new freedom, Yugi looked over his shoulder. His eyes scrutinized the bed, and then turned to Timaeus. "The bed is big enough, why not we…share it?" He mumbled the last part but Timaeus heard it, and everyone left outside was left to speculate.

"Really?" Timaeus arched a brow, and Yugi groaned when his smirk returned. "You don't find sharing my bed repulsive?"

"I'm suggesting it, am I not?" Yugi snapped. "You wanted to compromise?"

"Alright, alright," Timaeus said lifting the fallen mantle and laying it on the bed. "We'll each take a side, unless you'd rather I wrap my arms around you?"

"Try it and I will put out your other eye!" Yugi promised loosening the tight rings of the garment's neck.

"Would you like me to help you get that off?" he offered politely, but Yugi still took it as teasing.

"I can do it myself." He said and climbed into the bed backing in as far as he could until he hit the wall and slept facing it.

"Alright then, little one," Timaeus slipped in next to him, and pulled over all but one of the sheets; let his little one have an additional barrier to ease his worry. "But let me know if you change your mind about my arms?"

"Go to sleep." Yugi snapped.

"Very well," Timaeus chuckled. "Good night, Udjalah."

Yugi grunted suddenly. "Call me, Yugi. It sounds odd when you say my name."

Timaeus chuckled. "You said it was only for family? I am simply respecting your wishes."

"Wishes change," Was the blunt answer. "Call me Yugi."

He couldn't see Timaeus smile but he could hear it in his final words. "As you wish,"

The rest was silence. Outside with their words still fresh, all the ship heard was a compromise made over a bed, the swish of cloth and the bed dipping beneath _two_ occupant's weights. In the back the girls' snickers, soldiers fought to contain their laugher and Dartz buried his shocked face in his hands and shook his head. Rhebekka, the only one having any real context of the situation, ushered everyone out with a ferocity that rivaled her work ethic. Over her shoulder, she stole a glance from her King who gave her a nod. The two of them made a silent pact to gather the night's context and speak to their respected charge in the morning.

* * *

This chapter was a bear, specifically the beginning. You have no idea how hard it is to get the dialogue right, but the goal was it was time for Yugi and Timaeus to break the ice (lord know I complain about them-usually Yugi-being too stubborn) but don't think just because they're not being hostile anymore doesn't mean it'll be all candy hearts and roses ;)

Glossary:

Quartermaster: Often replacing First-Mate on military ships. quartermaster commanded a great deal of power and influence; basically the captain commanded all authority but all other times the crew obeyed the quartermaster; usually they were elected by the crew, other times they occupied an already important position (in this case Rhebekka acting as Surgeon and Cook); other duties included punishing crew fro minor offenses, kept records, accounts and books for the ships, divide plunders and even became Captain of a captured ship.

_**Next Time:** _Yugi finds himself in a compromising position-and must deal with the aftermath.


	13. Chapter XIII: Gossip

This one was ROUGH! Long story short, I had TERRIBLE writers block, when i FINALLY got inspiration thanks to finishing my masters and real life being busy (the good kind) put it on hold for two weeks then it took another two weeks to write and it ended up getting split, so I have not had a weekend to myself to just write in like a month! I was also vising relatives this weekend which is why this was late: i was too tired to edit.

I got nervous all the chapters were catching up I was afraid I'd have to skip a week to write some more chapters, but I finished them and am back on track with writing and staying at least three or four chapters ahead of posting.

On a happier note: as of last chapter THIS STORY HAD 100 REVIEWS! And i had NO idea! (dies) I was SO happy when my Beta showed me I just wanted to thank everyone for reading it! I'll admit I was nervous at first because it was a new pairing and style for me, but I am so proud of the turn out and thank you all so much for loving to read this story as much as i love writing it!

DEDICATIONS: This one is for Sakura-chan whose ideas inspired me when I had nothing, and for Val who helped me through every motivational block, word struggle and every time i fought myself over whether something made sense or not! You two are the best!

Dedications: I own nothing but the plot and the design of the Eye of Timaeus

As always read, review, critique, comment ask questions and go nuts!

* * *

_Chapter XIII: Gossip _

Yugi woke to Amun's persistent dawn shining through the glass windows and groaned. Flares of lemon light threatened to annoy him unless he awoke, but he was warm and comfortable and abhorred the thought of leaving his cocoon of warmth and softness. Yugi groaned and squinted hard. With a sluggish whine, he peeked an eye open. It would be his luck that the Trierarch's cabin was built facing the East. He expected Timaeus rose with dawn.

He rolled onto his side and stretched his limbs: chest puffed forward and arms back obtusely then arches forward in an acute curl: the gesture distinctly cat-like. His back brushed the warmth behind him and rolled over to snuggle closer into it. His eyes slid closed and his fingers curled over, smooth, slippery silks. His cheeks rubbed deeper into the snuggling warmth, feeling heat under his cheek, and the rippling hardness of firm muscles under tight flesh.

_Flesh_.

Yugi's eyes flew open and sprang back like a startled caracal. He clapped his hands over a voiceless scream. Eyes bulged with stunned mystification, and his stomach gurgled with a nauseous mixture of fright, flattery and bewildered shock. Timaeus lay curled on his side, resigned to the left of the bed. Oblivious and sleeping soundly, and completely ignorant that Yugi had spent the night pressed against him. The compromising nature of the position set in and Yugi blanched then bloomed crimson.

He flushed with a heat that wasn't environmental. It wasn't fear that caused his heart to pound. Nor was it shock. In an effort to distance himself from the cause of his embarrassment, Yugi scuttled backwards but slipped on the slick silks and landed on his back.

A groan, low and relaxed as a roll of thunder caused Yugi's heart to stop. Then the bed shifted, and he struggled to regain a more dignified position. Timaeus woke with an arch of his back and rose with no further complication. If he noticed Yugi, he gave no hint and dressed in his armor. Yugi's heart hammered though he couldn't figure out why. A mixture of relief and embarrassment clashed against confusion and disbelief. He shook his head trying to clear it, a low growl rumbled in his throat.

Ears and eyes sharp with alert, Timaeus spun towards the sound then relaxed with a surprised blink when he caught Yugi there. "You're up early," His smile was relaxed, his voice a soft purr.

Yugi's face burned even redder. "Y-Y-Yes, well," he stuttered like a child caught sneaking sweets before dinner. He coughed into his fist and collected himself. "I'm used to rising early."

Timaeus' brow arched. Yugi's chin dropped with a shudder at such a weak excuse. He swung his legs and prepared to hop off, but Timaeus' hand caught his shoulder. His brows knitted together. His mouth pulled into an unreadable line. Yugi shivered when he raised a gloveless hand then pressed a palm to his forehead. Yugi's opened with an owlish blink.

"Perhaps you should rest," Timaeus suggested, lacking his usual command but the small shove to his shoulder forced Yugi to sit. "You seem feverish." The earnest concern and sheer oblivion of it nearly caused Yugi's heart to burst. His presence swallowed the room making it impossible to look anywhere but his eye and his scar. And they were like mist and smoke and water and all unobtainable, insubstantial things.

It was too much. Yugi lost his nerve and pushed Timaeus' hand away. "I'm fine!" It came out in a harsh squeak. Timaeus retracted his hand with a look of surprise and Yugi used the opportunity to look away.

He scooped his sandals off the floor and rushed to the door. "I'll be helping Rhebekka this morning." He slid the door open as he spoke. One step and he'd be free.

"One moment." Timaeus stole his chance when he grabbed Yugi's arm. Yugi wanted to wrench it free but found he couldn't move. Timaeus spun him slightly and placed a new set of clothes in his arms. Similar to the smock he'd worn previously, it was sleeveless and laced up the front, but leather straps replaced silver ribbons and the skirt was cropped to resemble a tunic with a belt to go around the waist.

Yugi looked up with an owlish blink.

Timaeus smiled. "Since you disliked my gift of fine silks and I didn't have the heart to destroy it," he purred against Yugi's ear. The warm breathe teased his hair and Yugi fought the urge to shudder. "I thought you'd prefer this instead."

He pressed a quick kiss to Yugi's ear and left the room.

Yugi's knees buckled. He collapsed to the floor with a loud gasp of air.

X X X

Dawn had already settled over the desert when Yugi finished dressing. Morning dew still dampened the air. The chill was a welcome relief against his burning skin. Mists whirled over the Nile like phantasms bathing the shores in soft, pale lights.

At dawn Amun's warmth made even the desert look safe, but instead of promise and new beginning Yugi thoughts were only of Timaeus. Just the memory of that morning and his entire body flushed with a wave of unbearable heat.

_I'm not some slave girl!_ He burned with shame. He had _snuggled _against Timaeus. His captor. The Trierarch. He had _snuggled_ against _Timaeus_, of all creatures! The man who just the night before had offered him comfort if he chose to accept it. Had he? Without even realizing it?That was the question that burned Yugi the most.

He trekked across the deck in a daze. Groups of boatswain struggled to raise anchors. Riggers scuttled about in the overhead nets untying the sails like insects caught in a spider's web. Soldiers lacking their armor donned the roles of able bodied sailors and massed on deck. He spied Timaeus delivering commands from the helm, above him. The Atlantian King at his side always eyeing the man with pride.

The sight of him sent a frisson through Yugi. His eyes were cold and unreadable, his expression neutral, and his voice commanded only authority. This wasn't the Timaeus who teased him mercilessly and whose constant insistence to remain at his side infuriated him. No, this was the imperial-willed Trierarch; unbreakable, untouchable and whose loyalty was matched only by his confidence in his power. He looked at Yugi once, a quick, cursory glance but in that moment his eyes softened and the line of his mouth looped to a smile, then he looked away and the mask returned.

Something in Yugi fluttered. That was the Timaeus from the night before: the Timaeus who'd promised him freedom when they first met. The Timaeus who, if Yugi thought about it now, _had _kept his word, every word, and—considering Yugi's own temper—had been extraordinarily patient with him. It was the same Timaeus that he'd bantered with the night before. The one who's teasing felt like a game to enjoy and not a veiled desire to conquer him.

He felt a sudden rush of heat and shook off the thoughts, and hurried to the infirmary, and pulled. The doors didn't open. Confused, he tugged again, but the doors remained locked. There was a snicker behind him. He could hear the steady mummer of gossip woven into conversation. He whirled around. Soldiers were exiting the mess and forming cliques on the main deck: murmuring secrets and casting him glances. They silenced when they caught him staring. Then their conversations became louder, their smiles perverse, their glares accusing and disapproving stares.

Yugi froze spotlighted under their scrutiny, and curious of the cause. Darkness twisted his gut, and he flushed. Oh Sekhment, did they know? His face hardened and he held his chin proudly. Secretly, his heart was in shambles. Amun, he didn't want to think any of them might suspect him of getting cozy with their General.

He shook off the thoughts and descended the stairs to the mess with his chin raised proudly—and nearly choked on the humid air thick with the wet stench of ash, sweat and spices. Clouds of steam bubbled from huge pots and intermingled with damp smoke. His throat clogged. His eyes stung.

Through the haze, he saw straggling crew crowding the benches of the mess hall, finishing the last of their ales and piling their dishes for Rhebekka's assistants. Yugi crept along the wall hoping to avoid their eyes, but the effort was in vain, and he caught several of the soldiers staring. None of them smiled when they looked at him, one even purposely shoved him as he walked past, and Yugi caught himself on the wall.

Servants scuttled about in the smoke carrying dishes to a wood tub of soapy water or carrying trays of food up a secondary staircase, Yugi assumed led to the infirmary. The girls paused and gasped when they saw him: some blushed and ducked their faces; others covered their mouths to keep from giggling.

He blinked baffled, but ignored them and slipped into the galley, a semi-circular alcove embedded in the far wall encircling a brick, gimballed caboose. Pots, pans, utensils, sacks of dried ingredients and bushels of herbs hung along the walls. Racks of dishes and spices rested over small stones and a large side table where servants chopped ingredients. Only small windows provided any ventilation. Tables were piled high with floods of bowls and dirty plates. From the center where a brick stove burned, Rhebekka barked orders and dumped heaps of broth thick with vegetables and meat chunks into wooden bowls.

She caught Yugi over her shoulder, and spun to face him, her face a mask of surprise. "Yugi?" she blinked then laughed. "I didn't think you'd be up at all today?"

With a bewildered blink, Yugi replied "Why wouldn't I be?"

Rhebekka paused like she was torn between curious desire and dignified pride. "No matter," she said at last, and fixed her emerald spectacles. "Did you eat with Timaeus then?"

Heat was upon Yugi before he was aware enough to stop it. "No, he—" Red painted Yugi's cheeks and he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. With a grunt he shook his head to keep from embarrassing himself further.

"I see," Rhebekka raised a skeptical brow but her smile was sly. She spun around and filled two bowls with broth and set them on a tray alongside a plate of bread that was fluffier than Yugi was used to, and thick slices of fruits. She handed him an empty mug and gestures towards the barrels. "Beer's in there. We're conserving juice and water until we arrive in Djanet."

Yugi understood and filled both mugs. She gestured to a table in the back and set the tray down between them. Yugi studied his choices and gathered a few slices of bread. It was soft and fluffy: nothing like the coarse barely cakes he was used to. He examined the stew: it was a hearty broth, golden green with boiled onions, garlic cloves, sliced leeks and thick with chunks of rubbery white meat, Yugi realized was fish. The combination was odd, tangy and robust but pleasant none the less.

"You'll have to forgive the taste," Rhebekka said, though it didn't sound like an apology. "I'm not used to the Nile's ingredients."

"It's delicious." Yugi said honestly, swallowing a large spoonful. He broke a piece of bread in half and dunked it. The soft texture absorbed the broth and became soggy in his hand, to his great surprise.

Rhebekka giggled. "It's wheat, Yugi. I'm afraid it's not as thick as barley." She chuckled then spun to the crowd and boomed "Alright, lads and gents. The men are fed so feed yourselves! Do it now, or you'll have to wait for dinner!" She warned then plopped on the other side of the table, chin in her palms and eyes wide like a child anxious for a bed time story.

Yugi's spoon froze and he blinked at her then he frowned. "Why are you looking at me like that?" The words were arched with defense.

Rhebekka blinked. "Like what?" she asked, earnestly confused.

"Like you expect me to tell you something? Something you know but I don't." Yugi snapped a little harsher than he intended, and swallowed a large spoonful harshly. "I've been getting looks all morning."

"You have?" Rhebekka blinked earnestly surprise. "From who?"

"Everyone," Yugi grumbled. "Servants, soldiers, I swear even the king looked at me differently for a moment?"

"Oh _that_," Rhebekka understood and to Yugi's surprise her giggle sounded sheepish. "Well, you two made quite a commotion the other night." She piped and, like child who'd gotten a reaction for naughty antics, added "apparently you woke the whole ship up?"

Yugi froze then pinched his nose, brows knitted together in frustrated annoyance. "We argued. That was all."

"Must've been _quite_ an argument, but I must say," said Rhebekka with a sidelong glance. "To have you both fall into bed."

Yugi chocked and nearly spat out his drink, aghast. "What? What are you implying, Rhebekka?"

The crooked smile that looked slitted with secret knowledge, and the sly way she said it, confirmed that the words were far from innocent. "You tell me, Yugi? It's obvious you're sweet on him?"

Yugi felt his face flame crimson. "Apep and all devils," he cursed. "All we did was argue over where to sleep! He insisted I take the bed. I insisted I take the coach, we finally agreed to share it. He had one side, I had the other. That. Is. All." He punctured the final three words with a hiss that promised a venomous bite.

She nodded, but Yugi knew from her face even if she believed him no one would believe it the truth. They already had their own. A wave of horror swept over him. His limbs became weak as wet grass and he collapsed in his seat. His face aflame and mortified, he buried it in his folded arms. "Lady of heaven, is _that_ what they think? That I'm his mistress now?"

"They predicted that already?" Rhebekka said bluntly. Yugi shot up and looked at her with horror. She sighed and said apologetically. "Don't look at me like that, aside from Timaeus and the King only I and your fellow hem-netjer know your identify. The soldiers only know you as a servant who Timaeus rescued. Now why would he do that if he didn't like you?"

Never before in his life had Yugi wished he could disappear. "And now their suspicions are confirmed." The chuckle was dry and bitter. "And they hate me now?"

"Oh, Yugi, it's not that." Rhebekka said, rubbing a soothing hand through his hair. "Who the Trierarch takes as a lover is no more their business than it is their say in it. It is nothing to do with you," she said with a comfort that morphed into a grave laugh. "Witless brutes care nothing for context. They could easily see it as your way of saying thank you, instead they assume you're trying to seduce the King's heir."

"Damn them all, I'd sooner seduce a—wait," Yugi's anger subdued when one of her words struck. "His heir? You mean Timaeus?"

"The same." Rhebekka nodded with a grin and downed a heavy gulp of mead.

Yugi blinked in surprise. It wasn't uncommon for childless kings to select one of their generals to succeed them. The process had become common in Kemet after Tutenatem had died without an heir. But unless some tragedy occurred that Yugi had yet to hear of, King Dartz was not childless.

"I thought the King Dartz had a daughter?" He asked bewildered

"He does." Rhebekka confirmed. "The Princess Christina. She came of age just this past year."

"Oh." The confirmation did little to ease Yugi's confusion. "Then is Atlantis patriarchal?" It _was_ common practice, but not unheard of for woman to rule in her name if she were the King's only heir.

"Oh heavens no," Rhebekka laughed. "Atlantis is far more progressive than that. You see," she snickered like she was telling him the beginning of a joke. "Before he was Lord of Locri, Timaeus lived under the care of the King. Trained alongside his own daughter. Gossip was they grew quite close, maybe even liked each other."

Yugi didn't miss her undertone. "You mean they were lovers?" Yugi gasped but couldn't be surprised.

Rhebekka shrugged. "I honestly couldn't tell you. There was certainly talk. Not a day went by when maids weren't gossiping about wedding plans and soldiers were making bets on who'd propose first. In all the years I've known him; I know he cared for her deeply. He does still. It wouldn't surprise me if they were."

For a reason he couldn't explain, Yugi wanted to turn away. It had nothing to do with him, but he wanted to hear more. "I see, and the King approved." It wasn't a question.

"How could he not?" Rhebekka giggled. "He's unequaled in battle. He has love of Locri and the support of Atlantis behind him. He commands unwavering loyalty of his men and the respect of his comrades, and he is the youngest of them all. The King loves him as a son, and his loyalty to him is matched by none. What else could he ask for in a potential bridegroom?"

"And I imagine the princess' fancy helped?" Yugi had not realized he'd spoken the words he'd been listening so intently. So lost in the perfection of the fantasy.

"Yes, he may be King, but Dartz _loves_ his daughter most. Which would make it all nice and neat for the King if Timaeus weren't so damn honorable." She took another swing of her ale. "He's too chivalrous to marry a girl for politics."

Yugi shot up. "But," he choked on his surprise. "They were lovers."

"Yes," Rhebekka nodded, placing her chin in her palm, and her fingers dancing over her mug. A half-lidded smile on her face. "They _were_, yet Timaeus never once confessed to being engaged, and the princess remains unmarried."

A surprising lightness suddenly swept over him: the heaviness in his chest evaporated, and his shoulders loosened like they'd been released from a great strain. His fingers clenched his mug, only half empty. It was surprising and frightening. This sudden flutter in his chest that Yugi couldn't explain. "Then…it ended?"

"It did when I met him at least," Rhebekka shrugged, swirling her fingers over her mug and wiped the corner of her mouth on her arm. "As far as I know nothing ever came of it. If they ever were its ended and did long ago. There are tons in Atlantis who believe they are still, but only they know the details." She sported a smug smile. "And I flatter myself to think I know Timaeus well enough to know he's above that."

Her tone was simple and matter-of-fact. "If you ask me, I think they were but found their love was simply that of a Princess and her General: an unwavering loyalty, an unbreakable trust, and true friend's affection. But that is not love. Not the love a husband feels for his wife, at least."

"Oh," For some reason that pleased him. His stomach bubbled with the bewildering ache he tried to soothe with food but it brought him no release. It was bewildering and unsettling. Once more his thoughts drifted to Timaeus. Then another thought was upon him, one less pleasant. "Wait! Then they think I'm trying to take him from her?" His chagrin bled into his voice.

"Probably," Rhebekka said with a shrug and rose from her seat. "They're daft, all of them! But then again they're soldiers, they don't need the facts, they only assume. Are you finished?"

Lost in his dazed fit, Yugi hadn't heard her. Then he blinked and stared down at his empty bowl and half-drunk mug. "Yeah," He finished it in a gulp wiped the access on his arm. "I'm finished."

She dumped the dirty dishes on a pile and bellowed to the rest of the room. "Has everyone eaten? Good, now get to work." The servants obeyed and Yugi found himself lost in the chaos and the world became a blur. He tried to find Rhebekka, but the lioness was in Mistress Mode and her words were bites. He slipped through the crowd and spied a tray of bowls still steaming on the counter.

"Who are those for Rhebekka?" He asked without thinking.

She spun towards him, ready to pounce for being interrupted. Her expression dropped then morphed to a self-scolding growl. "Oh Blast me!" She smacked her forehead. "The brigs still need to eat—"

"The brigs?" Yugi piped up. Below the storage deck, two layers below. No one to snap at him or give him dirty looks. No one to bother him or interrupt his thoughts. "I'll do it!" Yugi volunteered before she could finish and grabbed the tray of bowls.

"Yugi!" Rhebekka called, but he was out before she could grab him. She watched him vanish and her face blanched. "Leviathan's scales!" she growled and yanked at her bangs.

She knew _exactly_ who occupied the brigs, and when Yugi found out, the Trierarch would _not_ be pleased.

* * *

And yet somehow I managed to end this on a cliffhanger too? Phew! I seriously feared I'd have to skip a week to make sure I had enough chapters prewritten. Glad to know that wasn't the case and I haven't broken my record.

And as of this chapter it has been exactly 90 days (according to doc manager) since I posted this first chapter, and already its got 100 reviews! I STILL can't believe it! I hoped my regular fans and followers would love and maybe even inspire some new ones but i never dreamed it would become so popular so fast! Thank you all so much! And the best part? We haven't even gotten to the first plot twist yet? Just wait everyone!

**_Next Time:_** _Dartz confronts Timaeus on an important matter and Yugi learns _exactly _who resides in the briggs. Oh and did I mentio__n a kiss?_


	14. Chapter XIV: Traitors

Phew! This has been a CRAZY week, I spent the entire time working on chap 15 to be honest, but I have the whole weekend free and next week my work schedule is actually decent, so my goal is to get at least a few chapters written ^^ Especially since I got all the chaps to 23 outlined which will close the Egypt arc so I wont have to deal with writer's block like last time ;)

Sorry this is late in the day: I wanted to update it last night since I had work today and then I volunteered at the Estuary Center, but I was too tired: my poor Beta and I have been working ourselves ragged, and she's got college AND work!

So i hope it was worth the wait ;) and you all like the surprise at the end ;)

Disclaimer: I own nothing; all reference to historical people and places are fictional representations of themselves. I do however own the ship designs.

As always read, review, comment, ask questions, post theories and go nuts! Thank you all so much! I can't believe how popular this story is already! i knew it would be but i didn't expect it to be this fast! I haven't even gotten to the good stuff yet!

* * *

_Chapter XIV: Traitors_

_The Eye of Timaeus_ was on the Nile less than an hour after dawn. From his position at the helm, Timaeus spun the wheel sharply. With a sharp jerk, the ship roared into the current. The repositioned sails caught the north bound wind and propelled the ship forward with a burst of speed. Down below the sailors heard their command to row and in unison they propelled the enormous weight of the oars forward in heavy circular motions, accentuating the current.

Timaeus steered into the Canopic current, veering right and the _Eye of Timaeus_ flew. The galleon glided weightlessly through the Nile: sails flared and bow poised to strike, she bore all the ferocity, grace and majesty of a dragon flying across the sea. Her power born from strength, air, and sea: the air and waves her strength and the strength of her men her ally.

Timaeus stood at the helm, piloting the ship like he was an extension of the ship herself. With the wind blowing through his air, the pungent perfume of salt and papyrus reeds filling his throat, the cacophony of waves crashing at his ship's back and the rising sun illuminating the trek north: Timaeus could only smile a beaming grin of pride. A price only felt with the absolute achievement of his greatest accomplishment. This ship, _his _ship, was unstoppable.

"We shall arrive in Djanet by dusk," he boasted proudly.

"Excellent," Dartz approved with a regal nod. There was a pause before his next words. "Our young Udjalah will be pleased."

"He's finally going home," Timaeus agreed with a boisterous laugh. "Yugi will be delighted."

"Indeed," Dartz said equanimously. "Curious you only call him by his child name and not his title?"

"His personal preference," Timaeus said with a shrug then added with a curt smile. "I was happy to oblige."

"You've grown fond of him, I see?" Dartz asked with an arched brow. His tone did not change.

"I have," Timaeus nodded. "He's quite pleasant when he isn't being hostile." There was a chuckle in his voice. "But still _incredibly_ stubborn."

"Indeed," The word was low and his next ones were lower. "Is that the only reason?"

Recognizing the drop in the tone, Timaeus switched the helm to manual and rotated to meet his King's stoic expression with one of his own. "What other reason is there?" The tone was neutral but the undertone bit with the accusation.

It was the King who broke the tension. "Do not think less of me," he said in an aged sigh. "But what did you and he quarrel over last night?"

The mask dropped and Timaeus blinked with bewildered surprise. With a grunt he answered. "I'd hardly call it a quarrel. We simply debated over where he would sleep. I insisted he take the bed in the Great cabin and I'd take the couch, but he _constantly_ insisted it was mine. At last we compromised. Is that what all this is about?"

Dartz shook his head, his face torn between humor and antipathy at his own silliness. "A man's foolery," he chided to no one then met his general's gaze. "Yes, but I'm afraid that is not all," the King said almost apologetically. "Unfortunately, your," he paused and there was a veiled chuckle in his voice, "quarrel, aroused the whole ship. And the men's imaginations are not so innocent."

Were he a less controlled man, Timaeus would've raged. "Are they now?" His gloved hand clenched the wheel of the helm so tight the wood began to splinter. "Did they learn nothing from my last address?"

"They have their opinions but they know better than to speak them," Dartz mollified, and added "They would not dare."

"Regardless," Timaeus hissed through clenched teeth. "Yugi is a guest on this ship, and I will not condone misbehavior from seasoned men!" He abandoned the helm and stomped to the aft's rim and clenched the banisher. The burst of energy was not nearly enough to cool his temper, but enough to calm his thoughts enough to think. He looked above to the runners in the sails then below where in the berth deck the men were obediently propelling his ship north.

One figure stood out among the others. A small figure in an unusual uniform balanced a tray of plates in each hand. Timaeus recognized the costume immediately. He'd had it commissioned himself that very morning.

"Now where is he off too?" Timaeus asked no one, but aroused the King's curiosity.

Dartz strolled over in time to catch Yugi's trademark crown vanished beneath the trap door steps. "Wasn't he assisting your Surgeon?" The King asked, earnestly bewildered.

"He was supposed to be," Timaeus answered just as surprised. He had told Yugi about the lower decks. Why would he travel below decks with a tray of food? Had he not eaten? The mess' only entrances were from the main deck. "Nothing down there but the berth, the cargo hold, the ship's pump and—" A dark thought hardened his words. " "The brigs." Realization crept upon him.

The King looked surprised. "Pardon?"

"Take the helm, your highness," Timaeus ordered, too soft and sudden to be a command.

The King said nothing to the order but asked "What do you think he's doing down there?"

"I won't know until I ask him." Timaeus cleared the aft's descent and followed the spiral of the trap door. "If it is a simple errand, I will have a word with my quartermaster."

"And if it is not?" Dartz had meant the words to lighten the mood, but a shadow crossed over the Trierarch's face when he turned to him.

"Then he will have hell to pay." And he descended the stairs.

X X X

The atmosphere under the ship was far different then Yugi expected. Unlike the open and airy main deck with its cozy cottages, the berth deck was smaller, more condense. The curved walls of thick wood smothered two aisles of identical benches each holding twenty men and attached to a huge oar like a tree scrapped bare. Rows of low-hanging hammocks hung between them. Cannons were chained to its windows. It made Yugi feel claustrophobic and trapped.

His senses were assaulted his from every direction. Armorless, broad-backed soldiers, thick arms and skin slicked and shined with the sweat of labor, propelled the oars in wide circles. They rowed with their backs to the stern, pushing, not pulling. To Yugi's relief, they hadn't noticed him. The only sounds were their masculine grunts and groans and the yawn of the oar's protesting hinges. The stale air reeked from the salty, wet musk of labor, the perfume rot of wet wood and the alcoholic aroma of tar.

Yugi doubled his pursuit and nearly chocked when he reached the bottom of the stairs. Twice as worse as the berth, the cargo hold was suffocatingly hot: the air was thick, stagnant and wet with no ventilation system. Heat and humidity clung to Yugi's skin, even the light smock felt sticky and damp. He coughed, clearing his throat but only inhaled stale, wet air.

He immediately pitied anyone forced to stay down there and understood why Timaeus chose it as the location for the ships prison hold. A few minutes and Yugi would do anything to keep from coming down here again. It made him wonder what crime Timaeus' prisoners had committed to earn such a sentence.

The thought and a whiff of steam reminded him of his duty and Yugi scurried towards the stern where the prison occupied the lowest level of the ship's back. The journey was not an easy one: the Nile's strong waves roughened the walk and the ship's constant rocking and shifting sent him crashing into barrels and crates. Somehow, he'd kept the plates from spilling and exhaled in relief, and set the tray on a barrel.

The sound stirred the prisoners hiding in the shadows. Eyes peered through the criss-cross bars of iron, the squares just thick enough to slide the bowls through the bottom, and drilled into the stern where the wood was thickest. The air stale with only caged trapdoors for air and only small beams of light penetrated the thick shadows. Carefully taking a bowl in each hand, Yugi stepped into the light and immediately wished he hadn't.

"Traitor!" Maatkare threw herself against the bars. Arms stretched fully and hands curled like harpy eagle talons, clawing at nothing. Her shaved mop was matted in dusty clumps, her face smudged, her dark eyes were bright and dilated, and her face wild and dangerous: nothing about her resembled the domineering priestess who'd haunted his childhood.

Yugi jumped and crashed against the opposite cage. The bowl slipped from his hand. Stew splattered the floor. Quickly he masked his bewilderment and shook his head.

"Now look what you've done!" He chastised his sister. "Now you'll all have to share the rest." He groaned the words and slipped the rest of the bowls through the bars with a sweep of his foot.

Maatkare threw it at him with a scream and it crashed. "Don't you dare mock me! You inconsiderate harlot!" Her scream was rough from constant shrieking and bled with disgust and rage.

Behind her, her ladies found their courage and flocked about their mistress wanting to use it.

"Don't lie, boy!" They taunted, chittering like harem girls at court. "We hear the stories. We know the truth."

Yugi rolled his eyes. He slid the bowls into the other cage silently. Their eyes scrutinized him making him shiver. Too late he recognized why they were familiar.

"Well, well," a scratchy rasp, taunted. Yugi recognized the cowardly way he boasted. "The prince has chosen to grace us with his presence." There was no flattery in Siam's retort.

"You'd think an Atlantian general would keep a closer eye on his toys," scoffed one of Siam's younger and just as arrogant apprentices.

Yugi scoffed and chose to ignore them. But they were in their element. Maatkare was still growling. Siam's bulging eyes blazed with a crooked smile like a frog with a juicy beetle in its lips.

"And now he's playing coy!" Mocked one of the priestess cheekily. No longer were they the proud and dignified hem-netjer who faithfully served Amun. No longer were they the respected officials who served the Divine see ends and guarded the ipet-isut. They were just girls and guys. Young and frivolous and spoiled and robbed of their power needed to discredit his to earn it back.

But Yugi wasn't some soft-spoken maid. He rolled his eyes and snorted his disapproval with all the displeasure of a disappointed scribe master.

"Are you really going to sit there and squabble like a group of washer girls?" The retort was bitter and sharp, cutting through their words. The furrowed glare in his eyes and slitted smile on his face where like a slap across the face. A punishment for a child and meant to be just as humiliating. "You're hen-netjer of Amun! Since when do you listen to sailor talk and soldiers gossip and accept it as truth? You call yourselves servants to the Divine? You respect your masters as Per-ah's and God's wives? You think the Per-Ah would trust any of you to be part of his court if he saw you acting like this? If he so much as heard a rumor?" He chided but each word was harsh with mock laughter and they shrank back even Siam's tongue was twisted. "Do you want to continue as hem-netjer under your new Per-ah?" His gaze sharpened and so did his words. "Then _act_ like it!

The words were like a whiplash to the side and they all silenced. Only Maatkare did not shrink away. Rage and bitter betrayal distorted her face. Desperate fingers clung to the bars like a newborn bat to its mother's fur, but she remained silent.

Satisfied, Yugi gathered the looters shards into the tray and turned to leave. He'd tell Rhebekka about the spilt ones when he got back. His fingers grasped the door when a dark chuckle echoed from the furthest, shadows corner.

Then it bellowed. "Strong words for an apostate whore."

Yugi spin on his heels. The tray set down with a clang.

"What was that?" He demanded in a low hiss.

The shadow rose and slithered forward with all the sinister of Apep's water snakes.

"You heard me, _brother_," Menkheperre spat the word like it was a soured wine. "Why would you care so much for ideal gossip unless it carries some truth?" Menkheperre said cheekily. Menkheperre who claimed taunts were childish and beneath him.

"What are you implying, Menkheperre?" Yugi asked dryly. His face neutral and his eyes hard.

Menkhperre's smile was a curve slit one that didn't match his iron-controlled face. "You can't hide it, Yugi." He sang the words; the first part, a drawn high note, the second, a long, low syllable. His name a hybrid of a spa and a chime. "Everyone knows."

"Knows _what_?" Yugi demanded stone faced. His fingers twitched, ready to curl. Claws flexed, ready to strike.

"That you sold us Divine Servants to fuck Atlantis' favorite pirate."

A second of silence, inmates waiting with baited breath for his reaction, and then it broke.

They'd expected Yugi to lunge like a wild beast savage with furry. Expected him to protest weakly and gasp in utter humiliation. Perhaps even remain stone faced and stoically repeat his dismissal of gossip as fact while neither denying not confirming the rumor.

Everything but what he _did_ do.

He laughed.

A boisterous laugh hearty with humor and not a single effort made to contain it. He laughed so hard his sides hurt. "Oh is _that_ what you think?" He clenched his sides to keep from shaking. "Funny, but I suppose that theory is better for your pride than admitting your superior brother outwitted you," he joked, calm and matter-of-fact. "He _did_ send a foreign army to rescue me."  
Menkheperre stumbled back like he'd been slapped. Maatkare shrieked. "You wretched—" She threw herself against the bars and her audience retreated with a collective scream.

Yugi didn't flinch. He'd live in fear of that temper as a child. Now her rages scared him like a tiger in a cage.

"That's enough. All of you." It was a command and not a yell. Sudden and low and relaxed as thunder. Yugi knew who it was before he stepped into the light. "You've embarrassed yourselves enough." Timaeus' words were sharp. Stray beams of light cast shadows over his face, illuminating his eyes with a menacing gleam like a predator unsure whether or not it wanted to pounce. Yugi saw their eyes bulge twice as shocked and twice as terrified. And Maatkare and Menkheperre were rarely shocked. He wondered what else could cause such a reaction

Timaeus' firm hand wrapped protectively around Yugi's shoulder, but he was hardly pleased with the rescue. Instead, he leaned into the embrace until Timaeus' arm slid strategically into place. "Did you hear them, Timaeus?" Yugi said and a voice, drawn and sweet. "Calling you a pirate when you came to rescue me?"

Timaeus arched a brow, but didn't protest. Yugi spun and pressed his cheek to Timaeus' midsection, and rolled to face them: his eyes half-lidded and his smile a pleasured slit, victorious. "I'm sorry; some people can just be so rude." He apologized in a slow, sultry purr. His fingers clenched the armor. It clung like a second skin and Yugi found no softness beneath it. He felt the powerful shoulders shift and he shivered.

Suddenly, strong arms were around his waist, pulling him up, and Yugi yelped. He met Timaeus' eyes: one bright as danger and wild as pleasure the other a pale ghost with a predatory slit. He understood Yugi's game, and he wanted to play. "It can't be helped I'm afraid." The words rolled off his tongue in a sultry purr. His thumb and forefinger curling under Yugi's chin, he rasped. "Some people are just rude with their gossip." He leaned closer. Too close and a familiar shiver of anticipation curled in Yugi's spine.

Yugi wasn't ready to relinquish the game, but he needed to regain control. Against all his common sense, he closed his eyes and pressed his lips to Timaeus' parted ones. It was meant to be quick, a brief display of affection to silence their bullying, but he's forgotten the arms at his waist. He didn't expect their swiftness until they dragged him half across the floor, until his toes dangled and crushed him to Timaeus' chest. His parted Yugi's lips with a practiced tongue and Yugi couldn't stop the moan that followed it. Or the electrifying pulse it sent surging through him with all the ferocity and anticipation of a lioness ready to deliver the killing bite.

He felt the heat in him, searing Yugi's fingers and chest, burning from his lips to his toes. Then it was gone. Timaeus pulled away with a smirk that left Yugi breathless. His single eye smoldering behind a half closed lid and the other just as seductive. "But I'd be a very poor betrothed if I didn't set the rumors right." He leaned in providing the illusion of kissing Yugi's cheek, but instead whispered "Don't play games with me, unless you intend to finish them."

Yugi panted through his glare. It was a warning and he understood the message clear enough. Had it been anyone else, he would've been insulted, but this was Timaeus. He didn't act like others did. He was impossible to predict.

There was a collective gasp behind them he barely heard. With a final smile over his shoulder, he said "No need to worry yourself with that," he said sweetly again, but the undertone promised revenge. "I think they've learned their lesson." He grabbed the tray with a swoop and finally abandoned the brigs with only the clatter of Timaeus' boots following him.

They didn't speak again until they reached the cargo hold, safe from the wall's ears. Yugi spun and glowered. "What the devil was that?"

"I could ask you the same question." The smirk was still there but his eyes were stern. "What were you doing down here?"

"Feeding the 'prisoners'," he paused before the final word. Timaeus stopped surprised.

Yugi shrugged. "Rhebekka needed someone to do it, I volunteered." The answer was simple, matter-of-fact.

He had been wrong. There were _three_ explanations and it disturbed Timaeus how much the truth relieved him. How ready he'd been to expect the worst, but years of hardship has taught him such.

"What?" Yugi said with a tease. "Think I came to plot with my siblings?" Timaeus' face did not change, but it was clear he had. Yugi just laughed. "Didn't we just promise to be honest?"

"Don't tease me," Timaeus warned playfully. "There's nothing stopping me, from carrying you back upstairs like my bride to be."

"You wouldn't dare!" Yugi jumped and shuddered. "Amun, what possessed you to come up with such a…such a…" He couldn't find the right word.

"I only played along to your game, little one," Timaeus purred. "I think it fit."

Yugi grimaced. "That the last thing I need," Yugi grimaced. "Your crew already thinks I've stolen you from their princess, now you've given the hem-netjer the same suspicion?"

Timaeus stopped and spun, his face red. "Oh is _that_ what they're saying?" The words were a dark laugh that curled into a bitter chuckle. "Well, I'll have to speak to them about _that_. Gossip is for girls, _not_ seasoned soldiers."

The words brought Yugi no comfort. "Is it true?" he asked in a whisper.

Timaeus stopped. "Is what true?"

"About you and the princess?" Yugi admitted, his chest suddenly feeling tight.

There was a long silence, and then Timaeus said. "What did Rhebekka tell you?"

Yugi shook his head. "She told me nothing. Only that she'd heard you were close and it wouldn't have surprised her."

"And what do _you_ think?" There was a warning in the tone.

Cautiously, Yugi shrugged. "I don't listen to rumors. I'd rather hear the truth, since it seems to concern me."

"Do you think it does?" Timaeus asked again, but this time he bowed to face Yugi's bent head.

He had no right to ask. He knew it, but that lingering curiosity was there, threatening to erupt, and yet the words wouldn't come to his lips, afraid of the answer. "Do you love her?" He didn't expect an answer to something so personal.

"I did once." Was the easy response. Yugi shot up in surprise. Timaeus smiled, his shoulders relaxed. "It's no secret that I did. I loved her the way one falls for a dear friend. The kind who has known them longest and understands them best. But it was not the love a man has for his wife. At the time, I believed it was, but soon learned it was not. At least for me it wasn't."

"Oh," Yugi said and bowed his head, ashamed how much that relieved him. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be," Timaeus strutted forward and pulled him to his feet. At his smile, Yugi brightened, which in turn made Timaeus' smile wider. "Surely, you know your first love is always the most difficult but it is hardly the last?"

"I wouldn't really know," Yugi chuckled. "I haven't loved since I was a child."

"A child?" That caught Timaeus by surprise. He arched a playful brow. "I can see you being a cute child."

Yugi blushed, about to protest when the boat shook. "What was that?" he asked.

With a gesture to follow Timaeus flew up the steps. Yugi followed nearly blinded by the light of the main deck. The sails shifted in the wind and from the helm, Dartz gave the wheel a sharp turn.

Timaeus grinned. "If my calculations are correct, and they rarely are not," he turned to a bewildered Yugi and grinned. "We shall soon be arriving in Djanet."

* * *

And with that this chapter has reached 100 pages on word! Holy smoke I did NOT see that coming! 100 pages and over 100 reviews in only 97 days! Wow! That makes this my most impressive story ever! I'm so proud!

Hope you all liked the surprises ;) The priests and the kiss ;) not how i expected their first kiss to go but I'm glad it worked!

_**Next Time: **The Nile Arc has come to a close and the Djanet arc is about to beging: after an interesting three days, _The Eye of Timaeus_ arrives in Djanet and Yugi is reunited with someone he thought he'd never see again._


	15. Chapter XV: Returning

And as of this chapter, this story has offically broken 100 pages and we are now in the Djanet arc! And i could not be happier! Its been a wonderful week and I have not been able to stop writing chapters! If all goes well this weekend I'll have enough updates to last until November...and be prepared because we got some MAJOR plot twists coming up...

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot; characters based on historical figures are all fictional representations of themselves and in no way relate or pertain to the actual persons. I DO own the design of the ships.

THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR THE FEEDBACK! It always makes me smile to know not only are people reading and enjoying the story but they're GETTING IT! I'm happy i've been able to make you all think ;)

As always read, review, critique, comment, ask questions and go nuts!

* * *

_Chapter XV: Returning_

Yugi didn't even try to contain his enthusiasm. They returned to the main deck just as _The Eye_ banked right and slid into the Nile's Tanitic branch. With his first step on the deck, Yugi bolted for the nearest landing and all but lunged over the railing. Exuberant eyes gleamed with a vigorous light: sparkling, bright and amethyst with childish wonder.

The once vast and endless sands and golden hills of Seth's Red Land sloped into the vivid blue lakes and jungles of Horus, wild with color and life: Ta-Mehnt. The anket flood swept over the Delta, swallowing the shores palm roots and whole undergrowth in water creating a perennial swamp. Only small green islands remained in some parts providing refuge for flocks of wintering birds. Wadjet's papyrus were gone from this region and the dark Nile was a rainbow of color with blooming white, red and blue lotus: their golden hearts gleaming to greet the sun.

Yugi dashed to the opposite railing, desperate for a better look at them: the brilliant white and blue flowers glowed like a spray of stars covering the dark waters. Yugi drank in the sight. He scurried across the deck, jumping on the rope ladders, piling on crates and racing the stairs to the foredeck, not even his guardian could keep up with him.

He reached the railing and hopped up for a better view of the upcoming city.

"Djanet," he mused. It jiggled in the distance: its image a shifting mirage against the blue of Lake Manzala. The grand House of Amun and House of Life shimmered like a star, but unlike the claustrophobic walls and perpetual darkness that made him dread Waset's House, Djanet's beckoning light was almost whimsical and so inviting his spirit soared.

His old home. His father's city. Pinedjam I had begun its construction, now Pas continued his work and it thrived under him. Yugi felt giddy and alive and couldn't stop laughing even as his feet started to slip and Timaeus caught him with a shriek.

From their previous brawls, Timaeus knew Yugi possessed gifted speed, but it was a poor comparison to the uncatchable bursts of energy and gazelle-like jumps and darts that Yugi's excitement created. He finally caught him with a quick dive that drained the remaining breath from his body when Yugi's footing slipped. Yugi laughed like a child when he was caught: excited and unable to sit still. Timaeus growled and wanted to scream but the words had no air.

"Thank you," Yugi said with a gracious, dwindling laugh, so sweet Timaeus' natural protective instincts resurfaced. Reluctantly and he found his heart was unable to scold him. Instead, he pinched his forehead and shook his head. This sweet lad was going to be the death of him. He just knew it.

A loud whistle signaled overhead. Timaeus turned to the helm. Dartz gave a curt nod and banked hard to the left. Recognizing the signal, Yugi wiggled out of Timaeus arms forcing the man to drop him and returned to the railing. His eyes doubled with wonderment and delight. "There it is!" he screamed with excitement, and Timaeus strode to join him.

A smile crossed his lips. Djanet gleamed in the flaming light of Atum's descent like a white jewel. Surrounded by a massive, incomplete pylon, a grid-style labyrinth of squat walls and mud-brick houses crowding around a new palace like a mismatched collection of children's blocks. In the heart of the city, the new palace and temple rose like a massive, palatial mountain of smooth, towering trapezoids. Rows of obelisks spires speared the sky in jagged lines. Four-column walled temples and buildings shaped like walled boxes stacked inside of the other boasted a single, secret entrance.

Behind the palace opened to the lake with a sizable harbor basin. Single-mast galleys, some carrying huge cargos of stone, crowed the shores. Rows of sphinxes guarded either side of the canals feeding in waters from the Nile and Lake. With the green delta wild and alive with plants and animals surrounding it and the impenetrable marsh to protect it, Timaeus could easily see why Psusennes chose this place as the new capital, already it was a thriving port city, and clusters of stone and ramps surrounding incomplete buildings proved it was only growing.

He turned to Yugi who watched the scene fascinated and couldn't resist a smile. Not once during this voyage had he seen the lad's eyes so bright, his cheeks so flushed nor his smile so vibrant and rich with life.

"Come," he said with a small squeeze on his shoulder. Yugi turned to him with a bewildered glare Timaeus immediately disliked. "We'll be in the port soon."

Yugi reluctantly left his post and followed him down to the main deck.

Once more the Trierarch, Timaeus barked "All hands to stations!" and began issuing commands. Rudders climbed the rope ladders and loosened the sails, soldiers not below decks, tied down barrels and raised anchors. Over the side of the boat, Yugi saw the oars were being lifted and pulled back into the boat.

"Come with me," Timaeus whispered, taking Yugi's hand then once more ordered the crew to their stations. He followed him to the aft where Dartz relinquished the helm to Timaeus. Up ahead, two Per-a'ah Ramses colossus stood on either side of the Bahr Saft. Their watchful gazed judged the _Eye_ as it flew past. Yugi swore he saw his ancestor nod in approval. Lost in the memorizing sight, Yugi stumbled when Timaeus banked left and road the current to Lake Manzala.

"Careful now," The King warned him as Yugi found his footing.

"Hold fast men!" Timaeus commanded stern and sharp. "This is Kemet not Atlantis. Remember we don't have the luxury of the deep sea." Finally, the ship found the harbor and Yugi spotted three more ships parked just between the temple and the palace, in the same massive size and style as the _Eye of Timaeus_. One had a deep blue hull and its strange sails were black on one side and yellow on the other and all cut in sharp-pointed arches. Its bow was that a fin-necked dragon with a crown of three spikes and a blue jewel on its forehead, and two huge fang tusks protruding from the sides of its jaw. Its small, but sharp wings folded behind its neck.

"The Fang of Critius, her specialty is ambush." Timaeus explained, making note of Yugi's curiosity. "She's impossible to see in the dark and Critius knows how to turn with those sharp sails."

"And that one?" he gestured to the second ship. The second was a deep burgundy color but unlike the other two its hull was thicker and stronger, bulkier with thick armor-liked plates. Its sails red and massive, purely designed to catch the wind and its bow, or rather is ram, was a massive armor-plated dragon the color of blood, spikes jutting from his head and neck, another on its nose and its massive front paws poised straight in front of with deadly claws.

"The Claw of Hermos," Timaeus smirked. "Appropriately named. She's not as fast or maneuverable as the others, but you'll never find a stronger and more durable vassel." Timaeus chuckled. "And I know plenty of fools who underestimated the power of her ram."

"I see," Yugi shuddered, how anyone could underestimate that ship was beyond him. That ram was as frighteningly powerful as it was deadly in strength, it seemed. One final ship, rested in the harbor, hidden behind the others. At first, Yugi only caught glimpses of it but as Timaeus pulled _The Eye_ to port, he could see it now and gasped.

"That grand masterpiece," Dartz caught Yugi as he stumbled, pride radiant in his features. "Belongs to me."

It was probably the biggest and strangest ship Yugi had ever seen. Unlike its wider, bulkier cousins, it boasted a longer, thinner vessel with a much more slender hull of sleek midnight purple with a lighter underbelly, shiny like cobra scales. Slate-blue sails protruded like elongated butterfly wings from the center mast, a series of fin-shaped sails ran down the additional masts like serpent frill. Its bow, a monstrous serpentine neck, fins melting into the sides and sails, mouth opened in a terrifying maw of frighteningly realistic teeth poised and ready to strike: its ice blue eyes alive and striking, a shiny green stone bearing a decagram star around its neck. Its rudder was long and slender and thrashed from side to side giving the whole vessel the appearance of a chilling sea serpent. "And her name?" Yugi gulped on his words.

A curled smile slit the King's face. "The Great Leviathan."

It was a creature notorious in Kemet for its resemblance to Apep, but sacred in Atlantis and a perfect representation of its king. "Appropriately named." Yugi said in a breath.

Timaeus chuckled. "I assure you, she is not as frightening as she first appears. Her speed can't hold a candle to my vessel." Timaeus assured then yelled "Prepare to make port!"

Dartz prickled but said nothing and Yugi laughed. Compared to her bulkier, more sinister counterparts, Yugi agreed _the Eye of Timaeus_ was indeed sleeker, her voyage smoother, and much prettier. She docked with a rough lurch, and Timaeus caught him before he could stumble. Yugi blushed. He'd miss the ship, he realized—and her Trierarch.

"We're here," Timaeus said and Yugi's heart stopped. His eyes grew. He looked to the palace, the temple: the richly inscribed obelisks, the lotus shaped columns and beautifully decorated blocks, and Ramses statues, and the incomplete wall where dark-skinned builders shoved richly decorated stone blocks up sandy ramps. It was the city their father had started when the ancestral home of their ancestor's loss its accessibility. And overseeing it all was a man with a wild mane of bi-colored hair tamed by a winged crown bearing the Eye of Horus at its heart illuminating a strong jaw and a face full of angels and sharp eyes, the deepest shade of blue, almost violet.

Like Yugi's.

Yugi's own eyes filled with tears and his lips quivered, his shoulders slouched and shook. He could wait no longer. His heart was shivering, wild and frightened. His limbs were light and ready to flee. Timaeus sensed his impending escape and scooped him into his arms. Yugi shrieked and struggled begging for freedom but Timaeus held fast and soothed his cries.

The King approached his trembling guest. "Just be patient Ujalah." He mollified. "Remember your brother is Per-a'ah, now. There's a way to these things."

Yugi forced himself to stead, dried his eyes and gave a small nod. Pas was Per-a'ah, and he was no longer a child. There were protocols that had to be met; he'd known that, though he'd wanted to pretend he didn't.

He let Timaeus guide him across the ship.

Down below, the entire ship gathered on the deck. Healed servants and hem-netjer stood at Rhebekka's sides, their wounds healed and their strength restored. The most trusted of men removed the Divine Servants and their supporters from their holdings. None of them were chained but their hands secured by two guards on either side, a grim warning against resistance. Seeing the gathering crowd of onlookers flocking to witness their shame, even Maatkare swallowed her temper. No one departed the ship. Instead, they waited, suave and obedient and waiting. First for their King then for their Trierarch. They visibly frowned when they saw the boy in the Trierarch's arms. The Divine Servants growled in disgust. Yugi only smirked at them from the shelter of Timaeus' cloak.

The rudders lowered the ladders and ropes where dark-skinned dock hands donned only in simple kilts, secured the ship. A crowd had gathered on the banks: vendors and animals and hoards of traders, crowded along the shores, piling their wares and arguing with others in a cacophony of quivering curiosity and excitement. He spotted a few soldiers on the docks, and two intimidating figures donned in Atlantian mantles and under-armor stood stone-faced.

Another group arrived and both the crowd and Atlantian Knights parted. Standing at the head of the group, and flocked on either side by Kemet advisors and priests, and protected by three Atlantis Royal Guard, was Per-a'ah Psusennes I and Great Royal Wife Mutnedjmet.

King Dartz disembarked first. His steps slow and deliberate, his posture straight and unyielding, his face a regal smile that betrayed no emotion. The Trierarch was at his side, never passing him. Rhebekka slowly followed when the previous two has dismounted. Her hair loose and cascading over the bosom of her surgeon gown: she made no effort to contain her excitement. The residents of Waset's House of Life came behind her: servants and hem-netjer alike smiled, relieved to be home, relieved to be free. The army followed their General, the servants the quartermaster. Only the guards securing the traitors remained on deck.

Dartz stropped before the Per-a'ah and stood, regal and holy in a long-white capelet trimmed with blue over lose white pants and tied with an ornamented paneled sash. A simple chain and drop adorning his sky-blue mane, spoke of his sovereignty.

Psusennes I stepped forward, a man in his prime appropriately donning the King's war uniform. Tall and broad-shouldered, in a short, guaffered kilt and armor bearing a Horus-feather design hugged a firm chest; gold bracelets and armbands decorated strong arms. The creases of middle-age lined the mouth of his broad jaw. His cheeks were sunken but in the depths of his blue eyes was the fire of a new King: young and strong and full of optimism, but wise with the maturity that his life was not his own.

The two Kings faced the other: Kemet and Atlantian reflections of the other. Their faces stoic and neutral. Their gold and blue eyes unyielding. Only silence between them. Then a friendly smile graced Psusennes' face and Dartz' sharp eyes softened to a greeting. Rival kings, no longer, but powerful allies.

"Hail, Akheperre Setepenamun, King of _Ta-Mehu_ and now, _Ta-Semhu, _Son of Ra, Pasebakhaenniut, Per-a'ah Psusennes I of your name. And, you, Great Royal Wife, Lady of Two Lands, Mutnedjmet, I am an honored guest in your presences." Dartz said in a dramatically gracious greeting but respectful with titles and names. With a start Yugi recognized both their throne names and their birth ones. It had been so long since he'd referred to them by anything other than Pas and Mut, that he'd nearly forgotten, but Psusennes was foreign to him.

The Per-a'ah smiled. "Rise my old friend. We are pleased you've managed to find your way back to our fair city, King Dartz, Son of Ironheart and Stronghold of Atlantis." His tone was regal but with an underline of friendship like a secret code only those who knew it could decode. He gave a curt nod of his own and Mut bowed at his side.

"Welcome back to the capital, Your Highness." Mutnedjmet spoke with a pleased smile.

"It is an honor to return, my Lady. I hope my men served you as faithfully as they have me?"

"Your men have been of great assistance to us." Psusennes addressed with a nod to the two armored knights and the trio of men behind him. He scrutinized the company with a quick glance. "I trust your mission was a success?"

With a turn of his chin, Dartz gestured behind him. "As promised, the priests and staff have all been transported safely and you have my word and my honor they received the best of care under our Surgeon," he gestured a hand to Rhebekka how bowed to the waist and kept her head low.

"And _them_?" There was a pause as he said it, his mouth a neutral line, and his eyes blank.

Dartz frowned but quickly recovered. "Per your request, I have had the High Divine Servant and Divine Adoratrice accompany my crew and I to the capital so we may begin the new enactment of your reign upon the two lands." His tone as overly gracious and addressed the gathering crowd, not the Per-a'ah and his wife. "My General," He turned to Timaeus with a proud smile, his words low and veiled, "was very thorough."

Summoned, Timaeus stepped forward, and dropped to one knee in a bow.

"King Dartz spoke fondly of your strength in battle; your humbleness in victory and your honor to those who come under your protection. His words were not misplaced. Nor was my trust," the Per-a'ah praised. "You have my highest praise, General Timaeus, and my humblest thanks."

"You humble me beyond words, Per-a'ah," Timaeus replied humble.

"Your second mission," Psusennes paused. His voice strained. Timaeus recognized the question before he spoke it, "Were you successful?"

Timaeus stood with a compassionate smile. He retracted his cloak and stepped aside, as did Dartz. The secret they kept so carefully hidden revealed.

Mut's voice was a long, drawn in gasp that her slender hands moved to cover. Her large eyes expanded, the beautiful lotus blue of her irises brightening with the shine of forming tears, her graceful figure shook with an overwhelming happiness.

Beside her, Pas stood rigged: his deep eyes widened slightly with a wet shine, his mouth parted in a low sigh of heartbreaking relief and overwhelming joy. His shoulders rigid and his face pinched with barely restrained emotion.

Yugi had stayed silent during the exchange, too stunned, too frightened to move. Like he was about to awake from a dream, alone and unloved in his tiny cell. Standing here on the docks of his childhood home with his siblings standing before him, the potent emotion of pure joy washed over him.

"Yu-Yugi?" Mut couldn't control herself any longer and neither could he. She dove to embrace him and he caught her as she fell. She took him into her arms and collapsed to her knees: tears streaked her pretty face. In the shelter of her arms and his face pressed to her cheek, Yugi let his tears fall silently. Mut rubbed his back in soothing circles, and pressed tender kisses to his forehead and hair. Pas approached them with a calm step, watching. Then he knelt down and stroked the young man's hair.

"Oh habibi, I've missed you." Mut pulled away to kiss his cheeks. Her ebony hair had fallen over his shoulders, and it clung to him even as she pulled away, like shadows enveloping him, unwilling to release their hold. "Can you ever forgive me?" She pleaded, her voice laced with love and desperate for forgiveness.

Mut had always been beautiful, tall and willowy with smooth, sandy skin, a round face and rounder eyes, playful and twinkling like stars, and her hair dramatically long and black but tinted with the blue of Nut's night. But in that moment, Yugi thought she'd aged a decade and her soul was that of an old woman trapped by youth.

Yugi took her hands in his and shook his head, his love hardening to chastising. "There is nothing to forgive, I don't blame you, and I never did. I know how hard you fought for me."

"I should've fought harder," Mut growled and her face contorted with unforgiving anger, but Yugi stroked her cheek and kissed it.

"It's alright, Mut," he whispered careful with the name. "It no longer matters. I've missed you, sister."

Mut smiled and held him tighter. "I've missed you more. We both have." She turned to Pas who nodded, remaining silent but the love in his eyes spoke with volume. Yugi wished only to tell him he understood. Instead, he nodded and smiled. His brother was Per-a'ah and mastered all the authority and responsibility that position commanded. His duty was to Kemet, his worries hers, her troubles his. Mut would always be his wife, Yugi always his brother, they would always be closest to their heart, but in their smiles they assured him: Kemet would always come first. It was a burden, together, they would share.

Timaeus watched the scene with a heart both heavy as well and light. The potent emotion of heartbreaking love washed over him like the warm touch of mother Mut herself. Next to him, Dartz observed the scene with tearful serene while Rhebekka made no effort to conceal his satisfaction that he'd played a small part in their reunion. Timaeus watched him turn to his fellow Dragon Knights with a sharp nod. They bowed in understanding and marched towards his ship. The rest of the army stood joined their comrades, all stood aghast, and Timaeus resisted the urge to smirk. He turned over his shoulder and glanced at their stunned faces, their frightened curiosity.

Psusennes stepped past them and stood before Timaeus with a slight bow. "Thank you, General." It was not the Per-a'ah who spoke, but the man inside him, the man who'd loved Yugi and held him so tenderly that Timaeus suspected that it was more than brotherly love the two shared. "Thank you for returning my youngest brother to me."

There was a collective sound of restrained gasps behind him and the horrible shrill of realization that followed. Timaeus ignored it and bowed. "There is no reason to thank me, Per-a'ah," he began, gracious and humble but Psusennes cut him off sharply.

"Yes, there is." He said with stern eyes. "As Per-a'ah, I can reward you with land, with riches, with any number of gifts to express my thanks, but as a man and a brother," he turned to Yugi, he and Mutdenjet just now standing. "Nothing I can give you will ever be enough."

Stunned to silence, Timaeus, wisely, said nothing and nodded.

Yugi turned to them and frown. "Please don't fuss over me," He told Pas with a smile. "I'm just happy to be home." He assured them all.

He blinked at the guards then gave Timaeus a half-lidded smirk. "General?" he said sweetly and mockingly innocent. "Why do your men all look so surprised? Surely, they knew you were escorting me?"

"Aye, little one, they did," Timaeus matched Yugi's face and turned to his men. They shivered at the spark in his eye: sharp and bright as danger. Every soldier grimaced. Those that turned to the quartermaster were given only a frown and a disapproving shake of her head.

"Then surely they_ knew_ I was kin to the Per-a'ah and his Great Royal wife?" Yugi added in the same mocking tone and alerted the listening royals to the joke. It was simple, matter-of-fact like

"My apologies my _Prince_," Timaeus said accentuated. His final words dropped like a stone in a well and bit like a whiplash. "I believed my men intelligent enough to understand that for themselves. It seems I was _grossly _mistaken. One I will _not_ make again."

Not a single soldier's head was not bowed in shame. Yugi giggled triumphantly. Timaeus matched his smile, then frowned when he saw Yugi's gaze harden and his stance become defiant.

Over his shoulder, Timaeus saw that Critias and Hermos had returned and all fell silent. Instinctively, he moved towards Yugi and the Royal Wife, but she was not to be sheltered and instead stood next to her husband. She fixed Timaeus with a glance as she passed him. Dartz stepped aside to let his friends past, and dismissed the two Knights with a glance. They surrendered their prisoners reluctantly and stood by their King. Yugi moved to join them but Timaeus touched his shoulder. Yugi spun to face him but he only shook his head. Reluctantly, Yugi remained still, and watched them stand on either side of the battle field, like two opposing prides of lions on the cusp of brawling: High Divine Servant and Divine Adoratrice on one side, Per-a'ah and Great Royal Wife on the other.

* * *

I'm so proud of that revamped ending ^^

I'm also very proud of how i designed the Atlantian ships: I designed each one based off the characteristics of the three dragons and to me what seemed to be their strength: Timaeus is speed, Critias is stealth and maneuverability, Hermos, with that body and horn, is definitely strength. I originally has a VERY different plan in mind for Dartz' ship but in keeping with the dragon theme, and doing research on it (and in particular i LOVED its wings) I decided to base his off the Great Leviathan

I hope you also all enjoyed Yugi's little bout of revenge ;)

_Glossary_

_Tanitic branch_—one of the nine rivers that branch off the main Nile river and into the Delta. Djanet (Tanis) is located. Today, all but two of the rivers have silted up

_Bahr Saft_—a Nile distribution stream to lake Manzela off the Tanatic branch. Presently silted up

_Ta-Mehnt_—Lower Egypt, the Nile Delta the "Black Land" in Ancient Egypt

_Ta-Semhu_—Upper Egypt, The Desert along the Nile, "Red Land" in Ancient Egypt

_Anket_—Winter or the winter season in Ancient Egypt usually marked by the annual flooding of the Nile that also starts the Ancient Egyptian New Year and turns the Delta and any area in the Nile's Flood plain flooded for the better part of two months.

*Note on Names and Titles:

Kings had TONS of names and titles back then, especially when addressed in the open so for the sake of historical accuracy I had both Dartz and Psusennes address the other by their titles. For Ancient Egyptian titles bases on my research, firs his the throne name (Psuennes was Akheperre Setepenamun, translates as "Great are the Manifestations of Ra, chosen of Amun." Proceeded by the titles _esu-bity_, "King of Upper and Lower Egypt"; the epithet _neb tawy_, "Lord of the Two Lands", referring to valley and delta regions of Egypt, often occurs as well. The Birth names was usually preceded by the title Son of Ra, where as with Dartz I went with the Ancient Greek title of the title, name and lineage. Really wanted to make sure I got that right (phew!)

_A note on Psusennes I age:_

I did a lot of research on this topic to keep it as accurate as possible, but it was IMPOSSIBLE to find his birth date and I wanted to keep his age roughly the same as Dartz's maybe younger since Dartz has a teenage daughter and he's Pinedjam's oldest child. Psusennes I's mummy proves that he was an old man when he died, roughly his late 80s (good for him) and he ruled for nearly fifty years (47-49 to be exact) so that would put his age around mid to late thirties when he took the throne, and since Yugi is 19 and Pinedjam died about 15 years before Psusennes took the thrown (and yes that means Yugi was a small child when his father died) it meant Psusennes was old enough to have a paternal relationship with Yugi but still relatively young in terms of modern times (which worked great for me since all the pictures I found were of him as an old man which was a bit of a turn off). So he's about mid-thirties in this and I would say Dartz is about early 40s himself. Hope that clears that up.

As always review, reply, comment, critique and have lots of fun! Now is when ALL the fun stuff begins ;)

**_Next Time: _**_The Final battle for the fate of Egypt begins. Who will win? And Timaeus makes a very unique request of the new Per-a'ah_


	16. Chapter XVI: Jurisdiction

This one was a bitch! Seriously, I spent like my whole two weeks of training writing down ansippet sof this and typing them up here, phew! but i got it done and once I did everything else just fell into place! Phew!

Now the battle scene you've all been waiting for is approaching...

Disclaimer: I own nothing, characters based of historical figures are fictional and in no way represent any actual people.

As always, read, review, critique, comment, ask questions, post theories and go nuts!

* * *

_Chap_t_er XVI: Jurisdiction _

The four siblings fixed the other with a hard stare: the differences between them radiant in their every action. Though taller than Yugi, Menkheperre was shorter than his brother, thicker at the chest and middle, but leaner on his arms and thighs whereas Pas had all corded muscles from years of labor. At his full height, he commanded the aura of a Hem-Netjer, expecting obedience and commanding authority simply because he decided it was his. But juxtaposed against the weight of Psusennes' regal presence and commanding stare, he was practically insignificant. Donning the mask of the Per-a'ah, neither cold nor ruthless but unwilling to accept insolence, he looked in every inch the Living Horus, and more intimidating than Menkheperre ever could.

The two women were polar opposites of the other: two faces of a lioness. Though both were petite, barely taller than Yugi who'd always been short, Maatkare was round and buxomly curved. Her hair short and cropped like fur without her wig, her eyes wild and her mouth twisted with a snarl, ready to snap. In her was the lioness' savagery and bloodlust.

Petite and willowy in a guaffered capelet and gown that displayed her delicate curves, Mutnedjmet hardly looked dangerous, but the light in her eyes and curve of her mouth in an unreadable line was fierce and strong. The kohl outlining her eyes in a cat-like pattern sharpened the blue and spoke of unyielding devotion, ferocious protection and even fiercer love. Her posture straight and patient and regal with unchallenged authority, she was the true Queen Lioness: the Per-a'ah was Ruler, Lawmaker and Guardian; she was Mother, Provider and Enforcer.

Their gazes fixated on the other: their shared dark blue eyes hard and their faces blank. Silence echoed between them then Psusennes spoke, his words dropped like a stone in a well. "My Divine Brother and Sister," he greeted hard and without titles. "How good it is to see you both."

Mutnedjmet was at his side, the King's equal. "I'm so pleased to see you've managed to find your way back to our Father's city." Mutnedjmet said honestly. The words lacked the love she'd showed Yugi, but still promised forgiveness. "Oh how we've missed you."

Their guards, both the Kemet Hem-netjer of Waset's sister temple and Dartz's Royal Guard, moved to follow, but Psusennes dismissed them with a wave of his hand. The Hem-netjet bowed their heads low and retreated backwards. The Royal Guard dropped to their knees in a bow then moved behind their own King.

They stood before the Divine Servant and Divine Adoratrice. No guards or finery other than Psusennes' Horus winged crown and Mutnedjmet's vulture headdress. Their foreign allies were no longer at their side. Only the Per-a'ah and the Great Wife stood, unafraid and unyielding.

Maatkare's response was a growl, a lashing ready on her tongue but she swallowed it. Menkheperre smirked, a dark, cruel thing that twisted his lips. "I'd hardly call it a return, when the Per-a'ah had a foreign army take the Royal Temple of our most sacred God hostage." The words were biting and bitter but loud enough that they held a slight echo. "I wonder what Kemet thinks of such acts of tyranny?"

The challenge initiated, Yugi remembered where they were and who was around them. All of Djanet had flocked to see the arrival of the Hem-netjer and see their new Per-a'ah and Royal Wife. It was not loyalty that compelled them, but curiosity: they knew nothing of the new monarch, or what to expect of the new reign. Were they gaining a leader? Or a tyrant?

Pas was still, he did not look unruly distressed by the news. "Tyranny?" He said it as if Menkheperre were making a joke. Only the court knew he wasn't. "You wound me brother, you are guests in my home. Why do you think I asked my most trusted friend and ally to escort you here? The Nile can be lethal so soon after the flood."

"How _kind_ of you," Maatkare spat. "To send an _outsider's army_." It was a derogatory term. An isolated paradise for much of her history, Kemet had never been fond of strangers, but the New Kingdom has opened many eyes. It was simply impossible for her to continue without investing in foreign friends, but many still feared and distrusted foreign relationships.

"Our most loyal friend and trusted ally," Mutnedjmet corrected with a harsh bite.

"You did not!" Maatkare spat with a slighted shriek. "You sent _him_." She spun to glare at the Atlantian guests but it was not Dartz who was the fixation of her hate, or the Atlantian knights flanking his side but their leader, the one Yugi knew only as Timaeus.

"You sent a savage from Greece!" Maatkare spit with a chuckle of sadistic pride when the crowd gasped. "Not even a Greek, a mixed breed!"

One of the Knights, donned in red, lunged forward, but Timaeus stopped him with a wave of his arm. His face did not change. His face stoic, betraying no emotion: his eyes sharp, not revealing a flicker of thought. He didn't wait for the King's permission. Instead, he approached her, never once showing rage or hate, even as her eyes gleamed in triumph and malice.

Timaeus stood before and smiled: a terrible smile that curled into an all-consuming smirk. He bellowed, "Do you think my origins betray my loyalty?" He said rhetoric and brutally sarcastic. "That I have some secret tie to a land that means nothing to me?"

Maatkare's response was a growl, but it had only half its earlier confidence.

"It is true. I come from Antiloa and Greece. I don't deny it; my appearance alone is testament to that." he confessed loud enough for even the crowd to hear.

Yugi wasn't surprised. It explained Timaeus bi-colored hair and his sharp eyes and face; he himself carried traces of his ancestor's Hittie brides. But from what he knew of Greece it was a country of colonies: tribes more than colonies, each with its own laws and customs and gender roles.

"My father was Antolian," Timaeus continued blazing with pride, and gestured an acknowledging hand to himself. "My ancestors are Antolian, and my mother," he paused, spun to the priestess and smirked. "Was a Spartan Lady."

Yugi's eyes widened, that explained it. The flawless grace with the way Timaeus moved and the smoothness in his step when he fought. His mother had praised the Spartan woman, a brutal society, that favors strength and cruelty, and abhorred any type of weakness, but one famed for its freedom and discipline, and above all, its women. Unlike its sister colonies that stressed quiet, and sheltered brides that did little more than decorate the man's bed, Spartan woman had pride: they were intelligent and strong in body as well as mind. They ruled the cities their husbands protected, protected the young raised to be warriors and trained to fight. They were a pride of lions, his mother had said once again quoting her patron goddess: the men fight in wars, protecting their families and patrolling their lands, and the woman hunt and provide food, birth and raise strong children and rule from within. It was as if Sekhment herself had started her own raise of mortals.

In his moment, Timaeus carried all the flawless pride and unchallenged dominance of his mother's people. "And she had no shame in that fact. And neither do I." His tone was simple and matter-of-fact, but in it was a bite that struck the air like the crack of a whip.

"So yes, I am Antolian, and I am Spartan. But," he bowed to the shorter priestess meeting her eyes with a fire so ferocious even Maatkare flinched. 'There is _no_ love in my heart for Greece," his voice was dangerously low and he took another step forward. "My ancestry and body may be of Antolia and Sparta's Greece, but my mind is Atlantian. My heart is Atlantian. My loyalty is Atlantian. And my soul,"

He was dangerously close to her now, and his tone carried on the wind like a stone shattering the water in a well. "Will always be..." There was a pause then he announced "Locrian! And coward you are for assuming otherwise." He spat with a sharp crack like a whip lash.

Then he left her and returned to his king's side.

Mutdjenment stepped forward. "We care only for your and our brothers' safety, _sister_." The word was hard, and no one missed the hard plural when she said brothers.

Maatkare glared at her, her mouth twisted to speak but no sound came out. Mutnedjmet only smiled. The challenger had lost, and the Queen lioness retained her position.

But Menkheperre did not give up. "I'm surprised your _friend_ agreed to such a request." His voice was granite. "Crossing the Great Sea seems quite a long and tedious journey for a simple favor, especially when the King seems fit to bring his Dragon Knights?" His eyes fixated on Dartz, lips curled. Dartz acknowledged him with a blank expression but said nothing.

Menkheperre turned to Psusennes, "Especially when Amun's House has _so_ many beautiful ships to travel by." There was a dark tone to the hem-netjer's voice. Yugi winced, knowing full-well the resources the High Priests of Amun held, including nearly all of Kemet's ships.

He cast a quick look to his brother but Psusennes was too good at disguising his emotions. Then he smiled. "I am well aware of _Ta-Sehmu_'s resources, brother, but I assured you trading ships are hardly fit for a long journey up the Nile, and I'm afraid too many of the merchants retuned their employment to Djanet."

Menkhperre's smile dropped. "What matter is this?"

"Their services were needed for a national project," Psusennes recited the news like it was common knowledge. "I'm afraid our military vessels and soldiers were simply unskilled in the task."

"And what project is this?" Menkheperre demanded.

Psuennes smiled, his tone did not change. "Why the transferring of _Per-Ramses_ to Djanet, of course." Yugi's ears perked up, connections suddenly forming in his mind. Then he recognized the lotus columns on the temple, the richly decorated obelisks and richly engraved battle scenes and the many statues bearing a face similar not to his father, but that of his mother and his father's first Wife, the daughters of the last man to carry the name Ramses.

Psusennes did not give Menkheperre time to recover from his shock. "It was my hope, when I invited you and the King here that the construction would be complete, but it seems that is not possible." He turned and gestures to the Great House and the adjoining temple, a near replica for the House of Life, where the remains of a great pylon remained unfinished and construction for a central temple was nearly complete. "It was our fathers dream to restore the capital of our ancestor and call Avarice home, but the river decreed it was not to be so," the Ramses branch has silted over long before their father's reign. "Instead, he wished to build a new capital symbolizing a new dynasty, one to symbolize the union of the sons of Ra and Horus with the Servants of Amun and his Great Heavenly Lady. Under my reign, Djanet shall be that capital, and we shall both immortalize the glory of our forefathers and begin a new reign of peace and prosperity." He spoke loud and grand, addressing the crowd as well as the priests, and there was a pleasant mummer that followed. The people cheered, accepting.

"And peace," Psusennes turned to them both, his response was calm and diplomatic, but the message was clear. "_Must _be established both externally and _internally_ for a kingdom to be strong. Don't you agree, Brother? Sister?"

Menkheperre and Maatkare remained silent. Their lips twisted to retort, but none came. The world around them waited for a response but there was none. They looked to one side, then another, then to the other before finally bowing their heads with defeated sighs.

"Indeed brother." It was Menkheperre who spoke, but the worlds were hollow. "It does."

Yugi fought down a sigh. The balance of power had shifted, no longer divided in an uneven split. The battle was won, the victor clear, but it was with fierce reluctance that the challenger accepted defeat.

Psusennes' face was a heavy frown. "My servants have prepared rooms for you in the Great House," he gestured with his hand. "My guards will see you there." It was both a gesture and a warning. "We shall begin negotiations tomorrow."

"So the King wishes." No one missed Menkhperre's mock, or the twitching of Maatkare's claws. The guards circled them as they walked. Yugi met their eyes when they turned to glare at him. He didn't look away. It was they who broke contact first, and he snorted when they did. Only Timaeus noticed the smile slitting Menkhperre's face.

The crowd watched them leave then slowly they began to disperse. They had their answers and it was disrespectful to linger around royalty.

"Friends," Pas addressed the King and the Knights. "Let us retire to the Great House so we may speak in private."

X X X

They retired to the Audience chamber of the Per-a'ah's apartments where a gold and granite dais housed a series of lion-pawed chairs waiting for them. The guards, priests and advisors were dismissed with a wave of their respected Kings hands. Only the three Dragon Knights, led by Timaeus, were permitted to remain. Mut had not let go of Yugi's hand, even after they entered. They followed Psusennes up the dais where he sat in a gold ornamental chair. Mut sat at his right hand, and Yugi took the smaller seat beside her.

"Have a seat, my friend," Pas gestured to the empty chair at his left hand, already prepared.

"Thank you," Dartz stepped onto the dais and sat back in a relaxed friendly manner. He turned to the knights who dropped to a single knee in a loyal bow. Yugi recognized the other two as the Knights from the harbor dock. The taller of the two, with a lean build and muscled arms, removed his helmet revealing neat blond hair and sharp, striking purple eyes. His black under-armor was black, his cape hung from a spiked blue mantel, and a paneled kilt the palest of silvery-blue tied around his waist. Yugi wondered how he was unaffected by the heat in so many layers. The third, and mid of the three, wore far more armor: gauntlets, boots, mantle curved over his shoulders, and a wild mane of dark brown hair peeking through his helm, all in a rich red that highlighted his pale skin and made his ocher eyes glow with a bright light. They stood on either side of Timaeus, acknowledging him as their leader. The King dismissed the knights with a bow and they rose to stand at his side.

The aura of dignity and decorum no longer needed, the two Kings resigned themselves to a recuperative evening. Yugi expelled a sigh; he hadn't realized he's been holding and immediately felt a heavy weight lift from his shoulders. He glanced at Timaeus, who looked regal even as his eyes closed in a relaxed exhale.

There was heaviness in the air and they all could sense it: the battle was won, the fighting had stopped, but the armistice was far from signed.

"You did well, my friend," Dartz praised. "Now they know you have the people's support as well as their army and their navy."

"Yes," Pas agreed his head in his forehead, not ready to use his siblings names just yet. "They will not challenge my becoming Per-a'ah, that is clear, but they will not surrender the south without challenge, nor would I expect them to."

"Pasebakhennuit," Yugi asked in a low voice, as if testing the name. Timaeus raised a brow, not having heard the King called that before. Despite the softness of his voice, Yugi's eyes were determined. "What will become of…them?" he asked with difficulty. He resisted the urge to look away almost afraid of the answer. He'd hated what his brother and sister had done, to him and to Mut when she'd been summoned to Djanet to be Pas' wife. At times he admitted he'd even hated them, but never enough to wish harm upon his brother and sister. What would happen to them when Pas removed them from power?

Pas leaned over and squeezed his hand. A small smile on his face. "Rest easy, young person, I have no desire to see harm befall our brother or our sister, nor do I plan on removing them from Waset's House of Life."

"You do not?" It was Timaeus who spoke. Dartz looked surprised.

Pas frowned. "_We_ shall rule with Djanet as capital, and _they _will return to Waset, only when their loyalty is ensured. It is not my desire to please them, but we do need the Priests of Amun in Waset. The capital's power cannot reach the South, but even if it is the Priests they answer to, it is _me_ they will call Per-a'ah. Kemet will _not_ fall into civil war."

"Then…what will you do?" Yugi asked suddenly nervous. Timaeus noticed it but willed himself not to move, the dark smile of the priest returned, clear in his mind. Mut took Yugi's hand in a reassuring squeeze.

"First, we will learn their plans." Mut declared confident and decisive. "We will speak to them lastly and privately. Before that, we shall interrogate their guards and speak to their servants," she smiled at Timaeus. "I'm certain your Surgeon's kindness has loosened their tongues, and any information they can provide will be helpful. Once we learn the nature of their plots, we can expose them and in private, show them forgiveness, and only then will we consider negotiations of position and power. And perhaps, in time," she said it as a possibility, hopeful, but understood it may not be a probability. "Perhaps we can learn to trust each other again."

It was Yugi who squeezed her hand this time, and he gave Pas a smile. Their carefree days as children were gone. The closeness of childhood would never be reclaimed, but it could be salvaged.

"Is that wise?" Dartz asked his friend warningly. "Letting Menkheperre become, in a sense, de facto ruler?"

Pas smiled at his friends concern. "He knows Waset and its people, it was never power he wanted but his decisions respected: a reduced position will ensure his loyalty, but give him the freedom to enact change." Pas explained: his voice low and his face grim. "But it is cementing that loyalty that concerns me."

Dartz rose and stood before them. "Then please, allow me and my Knights to remain in your service until the negotiations are complete."

The three royals looked stunned. Yugi's heart pounded. The Atlantians were staying? Then, his gaze turned to Timaeus who smiled. Yugi looked away, his face suffused with color.

Dartz continued. "You have already proven to the Priests you are powerful without Atlantis' aide, but perhaps our continued presence will serve to remind them what they shall risk if they do not concede to peace."

Pas smiled but shook his head. "My friend, I cannot ask that of you." He turned to Yugi and smiled. "You have already done so much."

Dartz frowned and shook his head. "It is for selfish reasons I make this request." His head was bowed. "I wished to inform you in private, but there was an issue when we apprehended the temple."

Timaeus stepped forward, cutting off his King and dropped to one knee, "Please, Your Highness the fault is mine, let me explain." He dropped to one knee before the dais. "As you know, the truth of our mission was the retrieval of your prince, which was kept an utmost secret. I myself was not told until our arrival. During that time, however, the prince fled to Mut's precinct and was followed by two of my men."

Yugi's eyes widened in realization and he gasped. He'd nearly forgotten about that, and now that it had resurfaced, would Timaeus truly take the blame for it?

"Though I arrived in time to stop them, those men attacked and attempted to assault the prince," Timaeus confessed. Mut gasped in horror and for all his skill Pas could not hide the horror on his face. Their faces turned to Yugi who smiled reassuringly. "I'm unharmed, I promise you." He said, quickly. "Those men defied their orders, and I defended myself, Timaeus punished them, and the King himself apologized to me," he chose not to include that Timaeus had killed them in front of him. "I'm alright."

Mut hugged him**, tears in her eyes before turning to Timaeus and the thought of the fate of those men caused her wet eyes to turn grim**. "And those men?"

Timaeus rose, his face dark. "I killed them." His tone was flat. "By disobeying me, by attacking him, they dishonored me, their King, their land and our alliance with you. I could not forgive their sins."

Pas nodded his face dark. "And Mut's precinct?"

Dartz stepped forward. "We were sure to pacify the Goddess before leaving. The men were informed of the issue and its consequences, Timaeus made certain of that." He bowed his head. "My friend, you have my humblest apologies."

"Enough," Yugi assured, and stood before the dais "It wasn't Timaeus or the King's faults. Those men acted on their own, they told me so themselves."

Timaeus placed a hand on the boy's shoulder and smiled. "Be that as may, little one; I told you before, I was their General and Dartz, their King. We are responsible for the actions of our men, and if they disobey it is we who punish them, we who remedy the damage, and we who will ensure such a mistake is never made again. An army is only as strong as its discipline." He smiled then whispered to Yugi, "Though I doubt their pride will ever recover after your little trick."

Yugi smiled and fought down a blush.

Pas smiled and dropped his face to his hand. "It seems I was wrong, General Timaeus," he looked up. "There is _nothing_ I can give you that would express my gratitude for bringing my brother safely back to me." Next to him Mut nodded in agreement.

Timaeus removed his hands from Yugi's shoulders and bowed. "Per-a'ah and Lady, you owe me nothing." Then he rose. "Your youngest brother was a pleasant guest on my ship, and I confess I've grown quite fond of his company."

Yugi giggled at the praise and fought down a blush.

Mut looked at him with a blink then her smile curled like a cat's. "We are both eternally grateful to you, Lord Timaeus," Mutnedjmet wrapped her arms around Yugi's shoulders and turned her smile to him. Yugi's heart raced, horrified. "Come Habibi, it is late and the palace has changed since you were last here. We've prepared your chamber." She flashed Timaeus a cat-like wink over Yugi's shoulder.

Timaeus blinked, befuddled in surprise. Too late, he noticed the blush on Yugi's face and the horrified way he covered it with his hands. Oh heavens, Timaeus resisted the urge to deflate. First, Rhebekka and now Mut? Was there anyone who hadn't misinterpreted their recent friendship?

Again the priest's dark smile invaded his mind. The smile he'd given after glaring at Yugi. He waited until Yugi and the queen had left then turned to the Per-a'ah in discussion with his King. They finished with a nod and turned to the Knights.

"Critias," Dartz turned to the man in blue. "Hermos," he spoke next to the knight in red. "The Per'a'ah and I have discussed and we believe it best you accompany him and the queen in the negotiations." They looked surprised. So did Timaeus.

"My King?" Timaeus asked.

Psusennes frowned. "Do not misunderstand, General," he apologized. "Your skills are unsurpassable, but it is crucial that these negotiations end in peace. I fear that in the presence of their conquer my brother and sister's allies will be…less inclined to speak truthfully."

Timaeus' confusion melted to one of understanding. With a curt nod he said, "I understand, wholeheartedly. However," He approached the dais and dropped to one knee in a respectful bow. "Since I will be unable to assist with negotiations I have but two requests."

Psusennes and Dartz both looked surprised but Psusennes nodded. "You may speak."

"The first, I wish to be informed of any and all information obtained during the proceedings."

The Kings nodded. "It will be done. And the second?"

Timaeus inhaled through his nose. Exhaling his trepidation, his lifted his chin and with determined eyes said "I ask that you leave Young Ujalah under my care, as long as negotiations proceed."

* * *

Bet yo all didn't see that coming ;) maybe you did, either way I was a fun clffie to write!

I hope you enjoyed the priests getting put in their place, probably not what you were all expecting but to me it fit i mean TECHNICALLY they didn't do anything illegal, and Pas, Mut and Yugi, as angry as they are, still love their siblings, and historically speaking Menkheperre did do well as defacto ruler of the South and Maatkare remained as God's Wife of Amun (more on that later) but it's not over yet ;)

Another major hint about Timaeus in this one: hope that makes some of the little hints I'd added make more sense ;) I had planned on making Timaues; ancestry Antolian and Spartan from the start (that scene was actually loosely inspired from 300 Rise of an Empire not gonna lie), but it was fun to design. The Antolian Empire or the Hittie Empire or Ancient Persia (modern Day Iran) was a play on why Timaeus and Yugi have similar hair, Yugi is a descendent of Ramses the II who took two hittie princess as wives.

NOTE ON ANCIENT GREECE: The Geek Empire didn't form until around 800 BCE about 200 years after the events of the story, which also makes more sense that Plato actually meant 900 years ago rather than 9000 because it said it failed to conquer Athens (of course) and Athens wasn't even around yet (plus if Atlantis sank in my original time period I'm thinking, it fits perfectly into my location and time setting) So around this time the Greek city-states were mostly just colonies and tribes, the Spartans of course being one of the oldest, and my personal favorite since unlike the rest of Greece, in Sparta woman were virtually equal, encourages to outside and exercise, be physically strong and mentally sharp, and encourage to speak their minds, and men had to earn their right to them as well as vice-versa, hell if a man wanted to sleep with another woman, he needed permission from the husband, but the woman also needed permission from the wife too, so safe to say Timaeus' mother had a very strong influence on him and his morals: anyone wanna guess why?

As always review, comment, critique, ask questions, go nuts! i can't wait to see the feedback for this one!

_**Next Time:** Pas' reaction to Timaeus' request; Yugi and Mut's reunion and an interesting proposal comes to mind.  
_


	17. Chapter XVII: Guardian

Quick question! I've noticed more people review on thursday as opposed to monday or friday so would it be easier for everyone if I uped the post dates to every thursday instead? I'm flexible and i got the chapts typed up already so its fine for me either way. Let me know!

**Dedications:** This is dedicated to Val, for being the best beta in the whole world! Thanks so much hun this story would never have seen the light of day without you! (glomps)

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing!

As always read, review, reply, critique comment and have fun! I can't wait for all your kinky theories now tht Timaeus will be staying for a while ;)

* * *

_Chapter XVII: Guardian_

Psusennes face was stone. Then a slim brow rose. "You wish to be my brother's bodyguard?" His tone was skeptical and reluctant.

Timaeus rose, unsurprised by the concern. "I do."

"And what will you do, if I permit you to do so?" Psusennes' brows knitted together his face hard, stern and calculating.

"I will act as his protector, his guide, and acquire whatever information he may know of the hem-netjer." He said honestly. "

"You can't possibly think he knows anything?" Psusennes shot. "Yugi has been a slave to the hem-netjer. Surely you don't think Yugi would ever be part of their plans?"

Timaeus shook his head earnestly. "I have no illusions of his love and loyalty to you, nor his hatred of the hem-netjer's treatment. He's made that more than clear," he paused to let the information sink. "However, I do believe the priests thought to use him in some form. They have held him hostage. They believe him a traitor to their cause and have made no effort to conceal that belief. But he has lived in their walls, he's heard their secrets, he knows they wanted his involvement somehow. He may know nothing severe, but any information he can give would be of value."

"So you want me to let you interrogate him?" Psusennes demanded, harsh.

Timaeus shook his head, voice civil. "I want him to remain under my protection until the negotiations are concluded." Then his protective instincts bled into his voice. "I do not trust the Priests. They have allies in this city, and they are not above using him against you. I will protect him and only I will speak to him of the matter. His trust in me is growing, and he knows I would not betray it, nor do I plan to. You have my King's faith in me, and my honor that no harm will come to him," Then he stood and his eyes met the King's. "And I protect all those under my care with my life."

Psusennes stared at him stone faced. Neither looked away, but Timaeus read the scrutiny in his face. After a long moment of silence, Psusennes closed his eyes and exhaled. When he opened them again, the striking blue looked dark and aged with the reluctant acceptance of a parent deciding his child's future. "You are Dartz's most trusted general, true?"

"That is correct," Timaeus said.

"He tells me you are bound by your honor above all else?" Psusennes 's tone was neutral but laced with a parent's longing.

"I do," Timaeus confirmed.

"You swear on your honor, my brother will not be harmed?"

Timaeus smiled and gave a gracious bow. "You have my word."

X X X

The prettiest rooms of the Royal Apartments were designed like a jewelry box. All but one wall was mud-brick embellished with vivid paintings of emblematic griffins and geometric rosette mazes in bold, beautiful colors. The sleeping quarter was a small alcove on a raised dais with colorful silks decorating the walls and the ceiling above the bed was a mural of heraldic vultures in the image of the goddess, Nekhbet. The headboard was carved in a wildlife scene over a leopard fur blanket.

The adjacent wall was a wide window-like balcony decorated with scenes of wildlife in the marshes: flowers, reeds and animals spiraling into beautiful lotus columns filling the room with light and air. On the far side was a limestone lined washroom with a huge basin tub imbedded in the floor and a dressing alcove where shendyts and decorative jewelry hung on hooks on the walls. A small window provided light and a huge copper mirror hung on the wall in front of a lion-pawed table.

Yugi couldn't remember the last time he'd seen such luxury and he almost felt humbled by the fact they were his. He strolled to the window. Built on a series of ramps, the chamber overlooked the courtyard where a pleasure lake where lotus blossoms glittered like white and blue stars. Palm and fig trees grew tall and grand and bushed of beautiful flowers bloomed. Yugi inhaled the air and tasted the aroma of jasmine and lotus.

Across the central courtyard were his brother's apartments, the Royal's apartment, diagonally across from those were his sister's quarters: the Royal Wife's quarters. It was so much more open the Waset was. He could feel Amun on his face, breathe in Shu's breath and taste Tefnut's moisture on the air. He felt surreal and true and more alive and connected to the world and the Gods then he ever did, confined in the darkness of Waset's House of Life. In a moment, he understood immediately why his father had chosen it for his new capital, both political and religious.

"Do they please you?" Mut asked still standing humbly in the doorway.

"They're beautiful," Yugi smiled and spun to her. "Come sister, you know you don't need my permission to enter."

Mut giggled but did as she was told and took a seat in one of the ebony lioness shaped chairs on either side of a small table where a golden senat board rested. Immediately, Yugi recognized it. "I thought I lost that," he breathed, walking over and taking the opposite seat.

Mut shook her head. "No, I brought it with me,' she said. Yugi looked up, stunned. Mut shook her head. "I found it in my bags, when I arrived. I couldn't let go it when Pas showed it to me." Her hair fell forward shadowing her face. Her hands shook in her lap. "I know you don't blame me, Yugi, but I'm so sorry I couldn't take you with me."

Yugi hugged her without holding back. "I know, Mut," he said. "I know. I knew they wouldn't let me go with you, I never hated them for that, I just…they never told me why."

"They didn't tell me either," she explained wiping away a stray blond bang. "Maat kept saying your place was there, like _hers_ was. I couldn't argue. It was true. You were always at home in the Heavenly Lady's precinct, but I couldn't understand why. I just assumed they wanted to spend time alone with you, but…"

Yugi snorted. "I thought the same, but things didn't change. They knew I couldn't wait to see you, to see Pas. I felt guilty about it, at first, like I was hurting them. But when they forbid me from entering Mut's precinct and start dictating my days, my guilt became anger. They thought if they couldn't earn my love they could force me to."

Mut shook her head, and sternly stroked his hair. "Things may not be what they once were between us now, but I don't believe our brother and sister capable of such treachery. Even in the days I hated them most, I never once thought they were cruel."

Yugi slumped his shoulders and pouted his lips. He hated being scolded like a child. Mut laughed. "But enough talk of sadness. Let us share our stories now?"

They traded stories until Amun descended deep into the Underworld, and lit the many candles to fill the room along with the silvery light of Thoth's eye. Yugi was delighted to learn that Mut and Pas were married officially. He'd seen how close they were as children growing up, it was only natural it would progress into something deeper, and he comforted her when she expressed discomfort about sharing the apartments their two mothers once lived. He told her about his time in the precinct, about the scribe training and Siam's failed bullying, and his longing for Mut's precinct. He told her of Timaeus' blotched rescue, and held her hands when she started shaking at the thought of something so horrid nearly happening to her beloved brother. He told about his journey on _The Eye,_ his friendship with Rhebekka, the King's kindness and his many spats with Timaeus when he'd been named his caretaker. And Mut listened to it all with a curved smile and a twinkle in her eye.

"Sounds like you've grown quite close to the General Timaeus?" she said it with a wink twinkling in her eye. To anyone else it was subtle enough to be missed but Yugi knew her too well.

He rolled his eyes with a snort. "I know what you're thinking, Mut," he said in a dismissive tone. "And I don't think of him that way."

Mut chuckled. Her bright smile hadn't faltered. "Oh now don't play coy, Yugi. You're old enough to be married. Don't tell me you've never felt tempted."

That damn catlike smile, Yugi thought as his sister regarded him with sly eyes. Of course, he had. At the cusp of manhood, his body coursed with urges: but he'd never made love. He wasn't some trembling new-woman: he'd shaken off his childhood shyness long ago. He knew the mechanics of sex and growing up in a culture that favored fertility over virginity, he was hardly puritanical.

"I have," Yugi admitted with a sly smile of his own, but his next words didn't match his tone. "I just haven't found someone yet." Girls had always found him charming, and men weren't oblivious to his beauty, but he didn't want to love for a day. He'd seen the way his father looked at his mother, and his wife. He'd seen the way Pas looked at Mut. _That_ was he wanted in his lover.

Mut looked unconvinced. "What about the Dragon Knight?" she asked teasingly, like a harem girl gossiping to a new arrival. "You can't tell me you don't find _him_ tempting?"

Yugi didn't protest. Instead he looked away, his proud and dismissive pout was still there, but there was a pink tint to his cheek. Timaeus tempting? It was like asking is the desert was hot? He _was _terribly charming, but not in a roughish manner. Even his blunt and merciless teasing was done chivalrously. He was certainly handsome. The scar of his eyes did nothing to mar it, if anything it made his perfections seem even more flawless: the brightness of his emerald eyes, the sharp curve of his jaw, the spark in his smile, those corded muscles and firmness of his chest. The pink blossoming into full-blown crimson, Yugi shook the thoughts away.

"He's not terrible to look at," Yugi confirmed.

"Absolutely not," Mut agreed matter of fact. "But do you _like_ him?" Mut asked. She'd meant it out of curiosity, but couldn't resist dragging out the syllable in a long, sing-song.

Yugi felt is spine stiffening. _Did_ he like Timaeus? It was a difficult question. Did Yugi even really _know _him? Timaeus was cold and soulless when he commanded the army and _The Eye¸ _yet before his King he was charming and unquestionably faithful. It was different when he looked at Yugi: his green eye and scar burned like fire, his smile gentlemanly playful and charming, but it wasn't the only face he'd shown him. The man who offered him comfort and kindness on the deck that night had been honest and kind. He'd _listened_ to him, offered him comfort but only when Yugi wishes it. Was that the real Timaeus? Did that mean the Trierarch was just a mask? Or was the seductive, gentleman persona a façade against other courtiers? Or was the man behind them, too a mask? And if he made Timaeus his lover,Yugi wondered with a fluttering chest, would he protect him? Or would that too be a mask.

He was about to answer when Mut teased "I hear his bedding partners are hardly regretful."

Heat bubbled in Yugi's belly. Bedding the fiercest Dragon Knight of Atlantis? Oh _that _was a seductive thought. One he couldn't deny sounded tempting, but one he quickly shook away. Timaeus was a Knight of Atlantis. His duty was to his King and his country, not a Kemet prince he'd only known three days.

It didn't matter, regardless. Timaeus would no doubt be busy with assisting in negotiations. Ra knew the man was a brilliant strategist, Yugi had no doubt his negotiating skills were just as sharp. Then the Atlantians would sail home, and he and the General would part as friends. Nothing more.

"I'm fond of him," Yugi admitted, impartially.

"That's all?" Mut asked, disappointed. "Too bad," She added with a playful frown. "From his looks, I think he's sweet on you."

Yugi blanched. He spun to face her, aghast and ready to protest. A knock interrupted them, and Pas entered, absent his finery.

"Am I interrupting?" he asked with a loving smile.

"Not at all!" the earlier conversation forgotten, Yugi bolted up and hugged him right around the waist. Pas returned it without hesitation. He'd left the King behind, in private he was the man only his Wife and loved ones knew lived behind the façade.

"I've missed you so much, Yugi," Pas held him like Yugi was a lost child come home.

Yugi returned it with just as much affection. "I missed you too, Pas," he smiled then added. "Or is it Psusennes now?" He said in a butchering of the Greek name.

Pas gave a hearty laugh. "Psusennes is the Greek version of my true name," he explained. "I donned it as a show of good faith between us and our foreign friends, but our people will know me as Pasebakhaenniut."

"Oh," Yugi sighed, but Pas ruffled his hair. Yugi swatted it away and glared at him, hating anything that made him feel like a child.

"Do not worry, Yugi," Pas promised. "To you and Mut, I will always be Pas."

That made Yugi smile. "Your friend Timaeus seems quite fond of you?" He added out of nowhere.

Yugi shot up and Mut laughed. "Not you too, Pas," Yugi buried his face in his hand. Just fond. He realized. That's all.

"A shame he won't be joining us for negotiations." Yugi perked up at that.

"He won't be?" Yugi asked bewildered.

Pas groaned. "We discussed it, and we think the Divine Servant's allies will feel less intimidated and more responsive if their conquerer is not present. I agreed."

Yugi couldn't argue. "Then…what will he be doing?"

Pas was silent then with a reluctant smile said "He volunteered to continue serving as your protector. I agreed."

Yugi plopped in a chair, pondering to the background of Mut's giggling why Fate continually felt the need to cheat him.

* * *

Yup I made Yugi a virgin and now he's got a sexy new body guard at his beck and call (QoP smile)

I had an ENORMOUS debate on whether or not to make Yugi a virgin (it doesn't matter either way to Timaeus-he's confident enough that he doesn't feel the need to flirt, court and compete with his partner's past lovers) BUT rest assured (which i hope i made clear in the fic) he is NOT some meek, little trembling virgin, he's a healthy and active nineteen year old boy and the same perve we loved in the mange and anime. He knows all about sec and he WANTs to do it but he also wants love too (and as many of you have suspect he is not blind to the fact Timaeus is drop=dead gorgeous either)

I also want to say i LOVE Mut, her personality just spun in this chapter, and looking back she kinde reminds me of Mai, but I love how she came out!

Hope you all enjoyed the reunion too ;)

Little Historical Note:

Palace of Djanet is loosely based on Maltkar palace's layout and decoration, since there isn't much detail on what Per-Ramses, which Djanet was modeled after, looked like, but Djanet was built with stone from Pi-Ramses after its Nile stream silted over, so much of the stone is extremely decorative. while this made building much easier, architecturally, no evidence 0f the city exists before Psuennes I but historically it's construction began during Pinedjam's reign so by the time Psuesennes took the throne it would be a thriving capital city, and would become known as Waset of the North.

And to be frank, I LOVE research but researching how royal Egyptian palaces looked in GENERAL was TERRIBLE. Temples and palaces were like small cities and apparently in some cases temples and palaces were in the same precinct. So like i said, i used Maltkar's Royal palace layour as a model and the decorations for Yugi's room. Since Yugi is technically a prince, he occupies the house meant for the King's children and families diagonally from his father and next to Mut's which are the Royal Wife's quarters which are in turn, Adjacent to the Pharaoh's chambers: this makes easy access for both the King and his Greak Royal Wife and possible lesser wives, but they wives are close enough to their children. Hope that clarifies it a bit.

As always, read, review, reply, critique comment and post all the erotic theories your x-rated minds can come up with ;)

_**Next Time: **Yugi gets an intriguing new bodyguard-whether he likes it or not._


	18. Chapter XVIII: Mornings

Sorry this chap was late! Work has been kicking my ass the last few days, and I had an epiphany with other writing.

**Fans of my Flying Castle Series or who have been waiting for it, please see the note on my profile page

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Dedications: To my fans, followers, and reviewers! Thank you all so much! You keep me going!

As always, read, review, reply, comment, ask questions, make theories and enjoy!

* * *

_Chapter XVIII: Mornings_

Yugi woke to the smell of lotus blossoms and the loud repetition of his name. He groaned and tried to bury himself deeper in his leopard fur blanket and the soft silks of his headrest, but the echo was persistent.

"Yugi? Are you awake?" Timaeus called from the inner, balancing a tray of food in one hand, like he had done every morning that week since he'd been named Yugi's guardian.

He found him curled up in his bed like a cat in a nest, wall silks drawn to block out the morning. Unwillingly, Yugi rose from the sheets With a groan. His hair was a tasseled mess from sleep and laziness dulled his eyes. Timaeus stood humbly in the doorway, waiting for permission with a humorous smile plastered on his face. "Come," He said fighting down a chuckle. "Time to get up."

"I don't want to," Yugi groaned and plopped back down on the mattress.

With a pleased sigh, Timaeus set the tray down at the foot of the bed and shook his head. "I thought you were an early riser?" he teased.

"Only when I want to be," Yugi challenged back.

With a smile, Timaeus shook his head. "You can't sleep all day."

"I can try," his response was a lazy mumble and tried to hide in his cozy little nest.

"Then at least have breakfast," Timaeus tempted, moving the tray to his lap. With a deep whiff, Yugi inhaled the salty tang of fish and the baked aroma of gozmose, honey-sweetened bread, and the buzz of grape wine and…was that?

"I bought pomegranates," Timaeus bribed, and Yugi could hear the temptation radiating on his face. "I know they're your favorite." He split one open and handed it to him.

A lazy hand moved to grab it but Timaeus pulled it away. "Ah-ah," he stood taking the tray with him and waved his forefinger patronizingly. "You have to get up first."

Yugi rose to his knees and glared at him. "That was cruel."

"No," Timaeus said taking a bite of the fruits, and licking his lips. "Cruel would be if I ate this whole meal without you." He strolled out of the bedchamber and into the main hall.

Yugi pulled himself out of bed and dragged himself to the joint dress room. He replaced his light shenti for a new shendyt and an elaborate belt. Gasping at his horrid reflection in the mirror, he shook his head and tamed his wild hair with a vigorous combing.

He found Timaeus in the sitting room, pouring two goblets of wine. His armor and mantle but the sabatons hugging his ankles were gone, and his under-armor was new, and the color of quicksilver and trimmed on the elbows and sides with green. It clung to him like a second skin and did nothing to hide his corded muscles, but a teal and silver kilt kept his midsection a secret. Yugi shivered. Timaeus looked up and met his gaze: emerald and red-slit pearl, bright and blazing, with a twinkle of mischief.

His gaze smoothly slid from Yugi's face, down his neck and chest, to his legs and feet then rose once more to meet Yugi's eyes. He smiled. "You look lovely," he complimented. "No jewelry?" he asked, noticing Yugi's bare arms and collar.

Yugi tilted his head, determined to hide his blush. "I don't have much finery," he admitted simply. "I'm not very fond of wearing things for decorative purposes."

"Ah," Timaeus nodded, standing by a gold lion-shaped chair he'd yet to sit in. "Then what are you fond of wearing?" he asked curiously.

Not wanting to be a bad host, Yugi took one of the chairs and motioned for the other to sit. He filled his plate with pomegranates and goose, while Timaeus took the fish and lathered a piece of bread with green fig paste.

"In public," he began, "You wear heirlooms and gold, things to show off your status, your history, your pride and ancestry. It's a display of power and strength, nothing more." His tone was flat and he stuffed a handful of pomegranate seeds in his mouth and licked his lips demonically, capturing stray drops of juice. "But in private, in the company of those who you have no need to impress, they're cold and meaningless. They say nothing about you and less about your family's greatness. In private, things you wear should have _real_ value. A meaning. I don't have anything like that."

He waited for ridicule. "That's quite an astute observation for one so young," Timaeus agreed, and Yugi's eyes darted up. "By that logic, we hardly own anything for ourselves." He continued cutting into the fish and taking large bites. "It makes sense that the ones we _do_ own should be memorable in some way."

Yugi gave the tiniest of smiles at the praise.

"Curious," Timaeus said after a sip of wine. "You don't have such items? I assume you'd wear them if you did."

Yugi turned his head. "No, I do not."

Timaeus looked saddened. "Nothing from your mother or your father?"

"Nothing worth keeping," Yugi said, then added. "I have much more personal mementoes." He smirked when Timaeus interest peaked.

"Is your name one such memento?"

Yugi shot up. "Why do you ask?" There was a warning in his tone.

Timaeus exposed his palms, still smiling. "I meant its meaning. U-ja-la," he pronounced every syllable with a roguish husk. "I believe that means to shine, correct?"

"It does," Yugi said flatly, determined to remain unreadable.

"Your parents must've loved you dearly to give you such a meaningful name. Though I am curious how you get your nickname from it. Unless Yugi is your name shortened to the first syllable."

The words were too polite for a retort, and too honest, giving Yugi the opportunity to decline it. Sighing, Yugi relented. "It's a combination actually, when I was a child I was called their habibi Ujalah. It is a combination of those two names, but reversed."

"Ah," Timaeus perked up, understanding immediately. "Habibi being a term of fierce endearment. I was right then."

"No, you weren't," Yugi teased sipping his wine and smirked when Timaeus' expression dropped for a second from shock. "Yes, my nickname _is_ of familial meaning, but now I only allow those who've proven themselves to be a friend the honor of using it."

Timaeus' smile became a wide curl. "Thank you."

Yugi nearly choked on his next sip. "Pardon me?" he demanded unable to fathom why the man looked so smug.

Timaeus' smiled widened. "You just admitted you consider me a friend."

It was a miracle of Yugi's will that he did not blush. He'd forgotten that he _had_ said that. Unwilling to forfeit their game just yet, Yugi spun to face him and said. "Now I have a few questions for you."

Timaeus smiled, and finished his fish. "Ask me anything little one." He split open a pomegranate by twisting it in half and picked out the seeds one by one and popped them into his mouth.

"What does _your_ name mean?" Yugi interrogated.

"My name? Well," he explained humble and boasting at once. "Comes from the Greek word _Timaios_ meaning honor."

Yugi couldn't stop himself from smiling. "How appropriate."

"Indeed, and I do my best to live up to it," Timaeus bragged, humbly. "Any other questions, little one?"

"Just one," he said with too much innocence. "Have I provided you with any new information about my sibling's evil plot to invade Egypt?" he said purely as a jest, but the gravity in his eyes and smirk was a complete replica of the same smirk Timaeus had given him when he mockingly accused him of trying to learn Atlantis' military secrets. _That, _when he spun to face his charge, surprised Timaeus most.

"I'm not as naïve as I look, Timaeus," Yugi said his name like a scold. "I know your 'kindness' the last few days has been an attempt to win my favor. Bringing me meals, asking about my life, playing off my dismissals, you're not as manipulative as you think." He leaned back in his chair, smirking.

Timaeus blinked his expression priceless then the cat smiled and bowed, recognizing a worthy opponent. "How very observant of you, Yugi," he praised and even had the gall to clap his hands. "But I'm afraid the reason is wrong, I was not trying to be manipulative. I was and have been nothing but honest and earnest in my conversations with you. I've found the best way to learn a person's secrets is to _earn_ them, as you said, through openness and honestly."

Yugi snorted a laugh and shook his head slowly. Honest the man certainly was, but open? That was another story.

"So, have I convinced you that I am part of my siblings evil plot to overthrow Egypt?" his words were mocking and full of sarcasm as he finished his wine.

"No little one I don't believe you are in anyway involved in their plot." Timaeus shook his head, setting the empty pomegranate shell on his plate. "You are no more than an innocent bystander, but it does intrigue me why they'd exhaust all their efforts on you."

"Why don't you ask them yourself?" Yugi shrugged like it was an obvious answer.

"I would, had I not been banned from negotiations," Timaeus grumbled with a twitch in his smile.

Yugi swallowed prematurely. He'd forgotten about that. "I'm sorry," he said then shot up when Timaeus snorted.

"I'm not," he said. "Negotiations bore me to tears." He rose from his seat. "Besides, I wouldn't want to talk either if I was faced with my conqueror."

Yugi set the glass down and pushed his empty plate aside. The servants would get it later. He slipped on a pair of lovely white sandals made of oxen leather, and grabbed a light capelet for his shoulders.

"Where are you off to?" Timaeus asked stacking their used dishes as the boy strode past.

"To explore the town," Yugi said with a shrug. "I've not been in Djanet since I was a child and she has grown much since then."

"Then allow me to accompany you," Timaeus swooped to his side, with a swift bow.

Yugi shook his head, and too quickly said. "I'll be fine, I-"

Timaeus waved his hand, cutting off any protest. "As your Guardian, I insist on it," he said definitely but gently. "I'm afraid I don't trust the people of Djanet enough to ensure your safety will be well kept."

Yugi rolled his eyes and quickened his pace, but Timaeus marched dutifully behind him. "You sound too much like Pas," he mumbled. "I doubt the Divine Servants have allies this far North and if they do, they would not dare strike me in the open."

"I cannot take that risk," Timaeus said sternly. "And neither can your brother, but I'd insist even if they didn't have enemies. I have not been in Djanet long enough to trust your city."

Yugi stopped at that, causing Timaeus to stumble to keep from hitting him. The glare on his face was dismissive and accusing. "These people are _my _people; you should learn to trust them."

Timaeus bowed his head respectfully but his gaze was no less defiant. "I trust _you_, little one. But your faith alone is not enough. Trust is a privilege, it cannot be given because they've earned it from someone else, nor can it be expected for the same reason. If they have earned your trust, all the better, but now they must earn mine."

Yugi tried to find a hole in the argument, and growled when he could not. "And what of your people? How could you rule Locri if you do not trust them?"

Timaeus frowned at that, and then smirked. "I, little one, was given Locri, yes, but I had to earn my peoples love and trust, as well as their respect, just as they had to earn mine, and we are a stronger nation because of it."

Yugi did not expect the answer, and had no response for it.

"Come?" Timaeus rose and took the lead. "Do you still wish to explore?" He offered Yugi a hand. This time, however, Yugi did not hesitate. With a grin that promised retribution, he took Timaeus hand: their game continuing, and his opponent growing ever more intriguing.

* * *

Probably the shortest chapter so far. But the style of this is Less is more and it ended where I wanted it too so it worked for me ^^

Hope you all enjoyed finally seeing some interaction between Timaeus and Yugi ^^ Just wait, there will be more.

I LOVE reading your theories about the priests and about Timaeus' past. Some of you are VERY close, others, I'm curious to see what your thinking, either way its so much fun for me! Just wait, more hints to come!

_Next Time:__ Timaeus and Yugi take a trip to town and find an unexpected surprise_


	19. Chapter IXX: Dreams

I posted this early: busy Friday morning. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I own nothing

As always read, review, comment, critique and ask questions, and post theories!

Now enjoy more Timaeus and Yugi interaction ;)

* * *

_Chapter XIX: Dreams_

The city of Djanet seemed to function as a single fortress. The city itself was an enormous, rectangular enclosure housing an entire complex in its perimeter. The massive white stoned pylon was peppered with large gates and the Great Temple at its heart, a grand replica of its southern cousin in Waset on two monstrous mounds with two deep circular walls in its center, an in-progress sanctuary devoted to Amun. Different from its counterpart, however, were the richly decorated and inscribed blocks and columns used to create it. Recycled obelisks and statues of various dates incorporated all the grand splendor of Ramses II. Directly adjacent to the temple's first court between the 1st and 2nd pylons the Royal Temple stood grand and proud: towering obelisks flocked either side of a trapezoidal entrance and open, inner box shape. Connected by the Window of Appearances, the palace was constructed high on elevated platforms accessible by ramps and overlooked every of the city angle. Smaller but imperious sanctuaries to lesser Gods, festival chapels and separate living arrangements dotted the inner southeast enclosure. Opposite it was a stunning sacred lake surrounded by Delta wildlife, and clustered in the Temple's eastern shadow, was the inner city: a grid-style labyrinth of interconnected walls and houses, built small and close together on either side of narrow roads.

It was alive and clustered and looked confusing yet the people navigated it with ease, and Yugi was no exception. Timaeus was not, and he quickly found his senses assaulted from all sides. Lost in the cacophony of complaining animals, squealing children and haggling vendors, the aroma of perfume, fruit and scented oils crashing with the reek of dirt, sweat and heat; the noise, smells and sites crashed against the sheer and utter fascination of it all.

The city itself was constructed simply, and crafted from mud-brick with flat roves that acted as occasional living spaces. Ladders connected to upper decks where smoke fires were burning, and beehive shaped storage units stood, and thatched roofs provided shade. Roads, if any, were narrow and sandy and had small shops boasting jewels and fruits or livestock, were simple wooden boxes shadowed by thatched roofs. Roads disappearing into the maze of villas dotting the outer enclosure and towered high above the others.

It was so much different from Locri.

Yugi watched his wide-eyed guardian's fascination. Gone was the cold and stoic Trierarch, and the devoted Knight who knew only obedience. "Enjoying yourself?" he said slyly and stopped at a booth bragging fresh figs and foreign grapes.

Timaeus spun to him his eye wide and his smile bright with childish wonder. "I am enjoying myself very much, little one." His smirk was nothing like the guardian who teased him mercilessly. It was bright and vibrant with all the exuberant optimism of a youth promising an adventure. "I see why the first king chose it for the dynasty's capital. I've never seen anything like it."

At the mention of his deceased father, Yugi froze, lost in separate realm that lasted only the span of a gasp. He dismissed the vendor with a wave of his hand and spun to Timaeus, uttering quickly, "I thought you saw it when you arrived here with Atlantis?"

Hearing the stutter in the words, Timaeus stopped and turned to him. He blinked for a moment, but Yugi didn't look away. Decidedly, Timaeus smiled and replied "I glanced at it upon our arrival, yes, but I'm afraid I didn't have time to properly explore it before my brigade was sent south. It'd please me greatly to see more of it, if you wouldn't mind?" he asked with a hopeful, smile.

Like a child asking to play outside before doing his chores, Yugi thought. "I suppose, I could show you," he teased, violet eyes half-lidded and sparkling with mischief and took the man's hand and raised his finger, "but," he scolded half-sternly. "You have to promise to stay by my side and not go running after everything pretty. I can't have you getting lost now can I?"

He laughed when Timaeus' brows knitted together. If not for the frustration blazing in his green eye, Yugi would've mistaken it for a pout. "I am seven and twenty, little one," Timaeus growled the fact, emphasizing the age difference between them. "I have the control and the sense to not act so childishly."

Yugi chuckled and jokingly, "Now why should I believe that?"

It was a joke, Timaeus knew, an attempt to bait him into a trap, but the Trierarch knew better, "Because, _Yugi_," Timaeus pulled on Yugi's hand, dragging him back against his chest and purred his name in his ear. "If I wasn't, I'd have had you in my arms _long _ago."

Paralysis washed over him and Yugi felt his entire body freeze in place. _How on Geb's flesh could he say something like that so casually? _Yugi felt dizzy until a tug on his hand returned him to reality.

"Coming?" Timaeus asked with a smile, so innocent Yugi was stunned by it. Timaeus held out his hand again, like a gentleman inviting his partner to dance, and it surprised him how much that thought delighted him.

"I-" He wanted to speak but he couldn't say the words. The air felt constricted from his lungs. His fingers twitched wanting to take the hand held out to him and all the world it promised, but he hesitated.

"It's alright," Timaeus promised, sensing his hesitation. "I promised to protect you, Nothing more," he said firm and blunt, but honestly added. "Unless you ask me."

Yugi felt his chest stop working, his mind shut down and then his heart fluttered, and willed his body to move. Slowly, the hand reached up—

—and was cut by a loud, dative shriek piercing the market place. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU CAN'T SELL IT TO ME!" Someone screamed in Aramaic, but it lost its smooth curve and slipped into a harsh, hissing dialect Yugi had never heard of.

"Is that Greek?" Yugi blinked, not recognizing the dialect.

"Close," Timaeus eyes narrowed, all emotion from earlier gone from his face. "It's Locrian." He spun on his heels and gestured Yugi to follow him. He did without question, curiosity drawing him and the rest of the crowd towards the ruckus.

"And there is only one person I know who screams like that when she's angry," Timaeus mumbled a growl and found his suspicions confirmed when he spotted Rhebekka, her golden hair cascading down her back and her physician smock, the coolest outfit she owned, giving her the appearance of a native Kemet.

The vendor she was arguing with was an elder man, skin darkened brown by the fierce sun and held his shaking, calloused hands up in a weak attempt to calm her.

"Rhebekka!" Timaeus snapped, and she spun around dutifully. "What's going on here?"

"I'm trying to place an order" Rhebekka snapped, throwing a thumb over her shoulder. "And he's trying to welsh on our deal."

The gathering crowd turned their eyes to the terrified man, spotlighted under the attention. He spoke in jumbles, Rhebekka clearly didn't understand them, but Yugi did.

"Wait, Rhebekka," Yugi ran ahead. He mollified in Kemetic. The man immediately perked up and gestured to the rows of dried Nile perch, continually bowing as he moved.

Yugi nodded and turned to his friend with a frown. "Rhebekka? He says you ordered his _entire_ stock of Nile perch?"

"That's because I _did_!" She confirmed.

Timaeus arched a brow.

"What?" she demanded, annoyed by the accusation. "I _am_ feeding an army?"

"But all his dried fish?" Yugi asked sympathetically stunned.

"It's a long ride back to Atlantis," Rhebekka explained. "Anything else would spoil. I offered to pay for it all, I have the funds."

Yugi relayed the information to the vendor who continued bowing apologetically and sputter explanations. Yugi sighed. "He says money isn't the problem. He has other orders to make and perch takes time to catch and dry. If he can't make the orders, he'd have to close his shop until he could catch more, and he'd risk his business. Without it he wouldn't be able to feed his family."

"Is there a way to provide him with enough income until that time?" Timaeus turned to Rhebekka who shook her head.

"I have an idea," Yugi assured him, and unclipped the broach from the front of his copelet: an image of Nekbet outlined in gold and outfitted with precious stones. He handed it to the vendor, who gaped stunned. His eyes became wet with joy, and he repeated the same word over and over again to Yugi with a bow.

Timaeus was stunned for a moment then smiled when Yugi returned to him. "That was very generous of you?"

Yugi shrugged his shoulders. "There are more at the palace." He smiled then gasped when Rhebekka glomped him from behind.

"Oh thank you! Thank you!" She squeezed him tight. "I was afraid of causing a scene!"

Timaeus rolled his eyes and pried the girl off his charge, "Don't you have work to do?"

Rhebekka turned to him but didn't let go of Yugi. She summed her Trierarch up with a quick look over: his rigged posture, his tapping foot, the impatience on his face. She grinned. "Even on land you're a Trierarch," she teased. "Fine, fine," She barked for her assistants, and started giving orders. She spun to Yugi with a final happy goodbye.

"Is she always like this?" Yugi asked with a groan.

"Unfortunately," Timaeus sighed, and wiped the sweat from his brow. The morning air was cool but the sun was hot and Timaeus felt a thin layer of sweat forming between his skin and his under-armor. "Shall we continue our tour?" He suggested and smiled when Yugi smirked.

By the time Amun had completed his mid-way journey and become Ra, the pair stopped to rest at a large well built from a ring of stones.

"I must command your navigation skills, little one," Timaeus collapsed on the stone rim. Yugi slouched against his side. The city of Djanet was a massive labyrinth of crowded buildings of various geometric blocks and straight line streets, and Yugi had navigated the catacombs and back allies like the walls were invisible. To Timaeus surprise they all led back to a singular road perpendicular to the Royal Way leading to the Temple and Palace complex, where all life accumulated. Carpenters, blacksmiths, potters, seamstresses and all manners of craftsmen set up fruit stands on wood crates or displayed their beautiful artistic creations on mats in the shade of palm trees.

Timaeus complimented. "I imagine you must've spent quite a lot of time in the cities?"

"Not quite," Yugi confessed and closed his eyes recalling the memory. "Once my studies began the Hem-netjer saw fit to regulate my city visits, but I didn't mind."

"You didn't?" Timaeus asked curiously.

Yugi shook his head. "Honestly, the city bored me, and so did the desert. I preferred the delta: the gardens, the rivers, the lakes: there's more to see and more to explore."

"I can see why," Timaeus purred in agreement, "It certainly appeals to the adventure's spirit."

"Of which you are living proof," Yugi giggled. "I imagine it's very different from the Locri you love to brag about."

"Indeed," Timaeus nodded.

"What's it like?" He spun to Timaeus, legs folded under him and his chin resting in the arch of his folded palms. "Your home? Locri? Atlantis? Tell me everything!"

"Everything?" Timaeus chuckled at his enthusiasm "Curious little beastie, aren't you?"

Yugi's jeweled eyes shined with the childish wonder and curious excitement of a child waiting for a story.

"Well, where do I begin?" He pretended to ponder. Then his deep baritone rose with the high tune of an enthusiastic story teller. "She is a beautiful county; an island far North from here. Her air is not dry nor hot, but cool and moistened by the sea. Her northern portions are mountains that trail all along the East coast, and her south encompasses a great more. Her Western flank borders a wide river that separates her from the colonies of Greece.

"Her capital city is an island that rises out of the sea: houses, libraries, market places, all spiral up a single cobblestone street up a hillside and at the top if the grandest palace you've ever seen. Her architecture is towers and spires and windows of glass, our buildings are curved and oddly shaped and we build them into the mountain herself. Her island is the heart of our country enclosed by three circular moats: each one larger than the last and separated by a land of proportional width where the city continues to grow."

"How do you cross the moats then?" Yugi asked aghast with imaginative wonder.

Timaeus grinned "Bridges, we built bridges between the canals, and each canal is flanked by a wall guarded by gates and towers. And, alongside the bridges and carved into the ring of rocks, are curved tunnels that allow ships to pass." He spoke this part with particular enthusiasm like he was sharing a privileged secret.

Yugi's eyes bulged with stunned mystification and his jaw was open with little gasps, his imagination tried picturing such a place but it sounded too surreal, like a fairy tale or a children's dream. "And Locri?" he asked.

Timaeus grinned like a cat. "Atlantis is an island city and an island county: the King rules the capital from the heart, but the outer rings are divided into the Western, Southern and Eastern cities, each one guarded and ruled by a Dragon Knight. I am the Guardian and Govenor of Locri, the Eastern City. You would love her, Yugi. They call her the Flower of Atlantis: she's built right into the mountains, and her winds are fierce, but she's built right on the shore of the sea's third ring. Her people are kind and strong, and we know how to live with the mountain and wind and the sea. Our streets are paved with stone, our homes are built from wood and on stilts and their shapes are various and elaborate, and many of their roofs are flat as to overlook the city and the shore. My own villa is built at the top of the hill, close to the temple of Our Lady Persephone."

Timaeus stopped when he realized he'd looked away and was beginning to ramble. He chuckled to himself and returned to Yugi, who looked not bewildered by his ramblings but fascinated and mystified.

"It sounds magnificent!" Yugi said dreamily. "I'd love that, to be able to look over the sea every day." He's spoken it in a way as if he was making a wish to heaven. Timaeus understood why when he added "I've never been to the sea. Is it beautiful?"

Timaeus looked stunned. Kemet was isolated on two sides by ocean. But when he saw Yugi's dreamy-eyes gaze and the desperate line of his smile, his curiosity softened and he pondered his next words carefully "She's as blue as the Nile but larger than Lake Manzala. She's so vast, she expands in every direction so all you can see is when she kisses the sky, and they blend so well together you can never tell when one world ends and another begins," he explained with passionate respect, his eyes cast heavenward. "She is a temperamental mistress, she can be peaceful and calm one moment, then savage and ruthless the next and she's always singing with a rhythm of moving waves and blowing wind. She takes you wherever you wish to go, yet you could sail for a hundred years and never see all of her."

"It sounds magnificent," Yugi mumbled, looking at his lap. "I hope I can see it one day."

"I have no doubt you will, little one," Timaeus encourages squeezing his hand. "And what other dreams do you have?"

Yugi froze his eyes wide but focused forward, as if the question surprised him. When he didn't move Timaeus called again "Yugi?"

His hand trembled. Then his shoulders. Then his entire body shook with sobs. Stunned, Timaeus tentatively brushed Yugi's cheek, "It's alright?" he mollified softly. "Don't cry."

Yugi jumped, mortified and hid his tear-streaked face in his hands. Timaeus jumped back, terrified he'd made a mistake, but seeing Yugi's feeble position and the muffled cries he tried desperately to hide, his protective instincts slammed into action and he scooped the boy into his arms.

Yugi gasped in surprise, but Timaeus held him firm, and Yugi found the warm chest and strong arms surprisingly comforting, but Timaeus' fingers trembled, unsure if moving them would distress Yugi further. "Forgive me," he pleaded. "I didn't mean to upset you?"

Regaining his sense, Yugi pulled away and shook his head fiercely. "It wasn't that!" He insisted, mortified by is outburst. "I'm sorry, it's just," he paused. "No one's ever," he bit his lip. "Asked me that before. What _I _wanted?"

Timaeus gaped, a mixture of stunned shock and horrified rage. "Not even your siblings?"

Yugi blushed. "I was a spoiled child," he admitted. "I expected my freedom like I expected Amun to rise, and I expected everyone in my life to be there, I expected everything to be the same. I had no idea the risks my mother and sisters took for me when my father died. I never realized just how dependent on them I actually was until mother died. Then all of my choices were stolen from me." There was a bitter chuckle in his next words. "The Divine Servant and Divine Adoratrice always hated me for not loving them the way I loved Pas and Mut, they didn't think I knew but I did. They loved my mother, sometimes I think more than they loved their own. I suppose my love was the closest they could come to having hers again. Keeping me isolated, they most likely thought they could _force _my love. It wouldn't surprise me." He said the words so coldly, like his love was a thing to be bartered and sold, taken and claimed, by all but himself.

It sent a chill of rage up Timaeus spine.

"And to answer your question, I think they wanted an heir. Or rather they wanted _me_ to be their heir." He snorted and added, "Perhaps they thought if I was forced to stay, they could pretend I was there _willingly_."

A wave of guilt stung Timaeus in the chest, but it quickly turned to resolve. He clenched Yugi's hand and said. "I imagine it infuriated them even more that you made no effort to humor that delusion?" He made them sound humorous but no less honest.

Yugi couldn't stop the laugh at that. "You don't think I had my own secret agenda toying with their emotions?" Yugi asked with a devious, but half-hearted smile.

Timaeus shook his head with a closed sigh. "I told you before, Yugi, there is no doubt in my mind you do not have nor had anything to do with their plot, but if it is as you say perhaps it was just petty jealousy. It would be a relief if it was only sibling vengeance and not rebellion they were after?"

"I doubt it," Yugi confessed. "They had far too much pride in their positions to ever leave them. They just wanted their influence respected. Given our childhood they probably thought Pas would be petty enough to deny them that." Yugi shook his head in disgust. "What folly."

"Indeed," Timaeus agreed, and then gently took Yugi's hand again. "But you never answered my question, little one, if and only if you're willing to answer?"

Yugi blinked, bewildered, and the innocence pulled at Timaeus' heartstrings. Oh this beautiful youth truly would be the death of him. "What are _your_ dreams and goals?"

Yugi hesitated. All his life he'd trained with hem-netjer of Mut-Sekhmet, he'd enjoyed the teachings and the traveling but it was his mother's calling and had simply been routine, and then out of respect for her memory. His role as youngest child and to a lesser wife denied him any real position of power in the government. If he truly admitted it, there _were _things he'd wished to experience: it was his most treasured kept secret.

"I'd like," he admitted, more to himself, then his guardian. "To travel, beyond the Nile and see the worlds beyond Kemet. I'm not sure. I think it hasn't reached me yet that I'm free now, I'm truly free." _I can _choose. He realized, and it was a surreal though, this ability to decide one's fate.

"You will one day, little one," Timaeus voice was a soft, encouraging purr, rolled and relaxed as thunder and filled with so much pride and promise. "Of that I have no doubt, and," he added with a sudden enthusiasm, "If ever you wish to visit Atlantis, my ship would be happy to have you as a passenger." He winked.

Yugi laughed and thanked him, only vaguely surprised by how easy it was to talk to Timaeus. To lean into his side and pretend the sun wasn't setting. To open his heart and share his secrets. He should've felt embarrassed and exposed. Instead, there was only confidence. With Timaeus there was no ridicule or simple waiting for him to finish ranting, only an earnest ear and encouraging words.

It surprised Timaeus how easily Yugi affected him. Even now, with his eyes closed and face serene and cuddled against his side, Timaeus knew he should've been guarded, yet all he wanted was to remove his armor and relax into the sweet hold. It was refreshing, this new innocent spirit: it was not shy nor was it meek; it was not flashy and flirtatiously confident. It was open and sweet, but there was fight burning like fire in those expressive eyes. It was so different from the ferocious, defensive creature who fancied himself a prisoner on his ship.

Timaeus smiled and closed his eyes, his fingers trailing to twirl in Yugi's soft tresses, surprised by how much that pleased him.

Suddenly Yugi sat up, and took his hand. "Come with me," he said dragging the bewildered Timaeus down the street. "Yugi? Wha-?"

He never got to finish his sentence. Because over his shoulder, Yugi smiled. "I want to show you something."

* * *

This was one of my fav chapters just cause of that final scene ;) Any guesses what Yugi's gonna show Timaeus ;)

Also little note, I'm gonna be doing the NaNoWriMo next month (though in my own way as i won't be using the website) but I plan on writing the final chapters of the Djanet arc next week and to Halloween so I will have the whole month of November taken care of, so i can focus on just writing my novel since its LONG over do. So wish me luck!

_NEXT TIME: Another step in a new direction is taken: one through a sanctuary, the other through a game._


	20. Chapter XX: Lotus

Sorry for the late chap! Long story short: between working longer hours, volunteering, getting new volunteering organized, and trying to redecorate after a damn windstorm destroyed my graveyard, I had NO time this week. Phew! plus last minute i realized during the editing process I realized there was another part I forgot to add and that took all day Friday to do.

SPECIAL THANKS TO VAL FOR BETAING! I love you so much, Val (glomps)

Also! See the bottom for an important announcement about November updates

Disclaimer: I own nothing

and as always read, review, comment, critique, ask questions, have fun and enjoy the new surprises this chapter reveals ;)

* * *

_Chapter XX: Lotus_

They left the city in the shadows behind them, and Yugi navigated it and the outside enclosure with the same skill he had when they were inside the city. In the haste, Timaeus caught a glimpse of the milometers measuring the depth of the canals, smaller temples built in dedication to previous kings and minor sanctuaries in the shadow of the great temple.

Yugi's attention was only on one: an elevated dais rising from the northeast corner plain of the great pylon. At first glance, Timaeus mistook it for a hill, but upon arrival he saw it was a square construction with steps making up its four corners. Yugi released a sound of triumphant delight, stopped only once to look at the sky then gently pulled Timaeus towards the stairs.

"We're almost there." he promised, letting go. Without the extra burden he raced up the stairs but Timaeus was not far behind him. His imagination spiraled with possibilities, but none compared to the site he saw when he joined Yugi at the top.

The dais was a spring ringed by recycled stone blocks and flaked with river plants growing between the waters and the shore. The construction alone was beautiful, but what stole his breath and stunned him to silence was even more so. Blooming brilliantly and nearly covering the entire surface of the lake, water lilies opened and fanned, spinning like they were dancing. Against the backdrop of the crystal blue lake, they shimmered like bright white, pink, and blue stars. Yugi kneeling over the side of the spring with the sunlight haloing his dark hair in a crown of gold completed the image.

"Yugi?" he breathed. 'What is this place?"

Yugi smiled dreamily. "This is Mut's sacred lake. Traditionally, only her hem-netjers are allowed here, but I don't think World-Mother will mind. You did save her House."

_It wasn't her House she wanted me to save_, Timaeus finally understood. He remembered the ferocity of the wind like a lion's roar, the rage and overwhelming sense of protectiveness that filled him when he saw her child hiding in the shelter of her embodiment. He knew well how fierce a mother's love could be.

"It's almost time," Yugi said, turning his attention to the sky then to Timaeus. "Watch," He pointed to the lake and Timaeus followed his gaze. He watched the lovely blooms, one in particular stood out among the wave of white and soft pink: a rich blue so much deeper than the others that it looked violet in the light. The same color as Yugi's eyes.

As the petals started to dance, Timaeus gasped and watched, enraptured, as they rose in a single curve: its golden heart retreated deeper into the softness of its petals. They rose and spun together, enclosing until they looked like a single tear-drop then slowly they vanished beneath the cool surface of water. He looked up, shocked to find several more tear drop pods and dancing flowers enfolding and sinking beneath the water until the whole surface of the Sacred Lake was clear and smooth like polished stone.

"Beautiful, aren't they?" Yugi grinned at the man's stunned face. "They're called Egyptian lotus, they bloom brightest and prettiest during the Anket."

"Magnificent," Timaeus praised in mystified wonder.

"You should see them when they rise," Yugi giggled.

"Will they rise on the morrow?" Timaeus asked, with childish anticipation.

Yugi shook his head. "No, it takes three days for them to sink to the bottom then rise again, and they won't bloom until mid morning. Sad they only bloom half a day."

"You know quite a lot about them?" Timaeus arched an impressed brow.

Yugi gave a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "My mother would bring me to see them every time they bloomed. They were the most magical thing I'd ever seen. Mother said we were all like lotuses: we're all in darkness reaching for the light." He said more to himself than anyone else.

"It sounds like a precious memory," he purred, rubbing his thumb over Yugi's palm. Then he looked away, his voice distant and vacant. "I wish I had those memories with my own mother." His neutral mask returned but Yugi saw the sadness glittering in his eye, and the twitch of a frown on his face.

Curiously, Yugi perked up. Other than the explanation of his origin, he never spoke of his family, and before that there seemed to be no need. He'd come to Atlantis alone, after all. A dark thought suddenly filled Yugi's mind, and he felt foolish for not understanding. He'd been a small child when his father died after all, but he'd had his mother, then Pas and Mut. He'd never been alone. "I'm sorry," he apologized unsure what else to say.

"It's not important," Timaeus said flatly, to Yugi's surprise. Timaeus reassured him with a small smile. "I've made my peace with it."

Yugi expected the answer, but he still couldn't accept it, and he spun in a half circle and wrapped his arms around Timaeus' shoulders and pressed his forehead to his back.

"Yugi?" Timaeus blinked confused. Yugi said nothing and held him tighter. The gesture was small but the comfort was sweet. Timaeus smiled and laced one of his hands with Yugi's. "Thank you, little one," he said over his shoulder.

When Yugi lifted his head, he looked into deep eyes filled with warmth and trust and reflected in the other. For a moment, all Yugi saw was that soft look. His palm rose to cup Timaeus' cheek and his thumb tracing the tail of his scar. Again he wondered where it came from. Did it happen the day his parents died? Who would do something so evil to a child? Or did it happen much later? And how could something so cruel look so gentle? Timaeus green and pearl eyes were smoldering and fixated on his. They blazed into his, alive and brilliant with such deep emotions. So many that Yugi couldn't read them all.

All Timaeus could see was the sweet child who held him once without even knowing him, who surprised and bewildered him with the simplest gestures and fascinated him with his kind heart and fiery spirit. He spun to face him and he didn't care where they were or who was watching, he leaned down, softly pressed his lips against Yugi's and kissed him, marveling at how soft and sweet the little one's lips felt against his own.

Yugi pushed back encouragingly. His heart felt ready to burst with the thrill of excitement. His fingers entangled in Timaeus' shirt and Timaeus' arm wrapped around Yugi's waist. He licked Yugi's lips, asking permission this time and Yugi relinquished it with a small moan.

It was nothing like their first kiss: it was not harsh or controlling, but relaxed and tender, and the gentleness created a new sensation that was even more intense. Heat spread between them, not in a pooling bit, but a wild flutter like the flapping of wings, that expressed itself as a gasp when they pulled away.

Blazing emerald and shadowed amethyst locked for a moment. Then the afternoon flickered and the sun began to fade.

"We should head back?" Timaeus said softly. Yugi's response was a dreamy nod.

They departed Mut's spring in a comfortable silence: smiles beaming and hands still laced at the fingers. When they returned to the palace, the temple was empty and the sunset shimmered over the Royal garden.

"I didn't think we'd be gone so long." Yugi said sheepishly.

"We stayed at the lake for a few hours," Timaeus said. "I'm sure everyone has retired for the evening."

They arrived at Yugi's room. The curtains were drawn and he rushed to open them. The evening meal was already prepared and waiting on a lion-paws table. "Don't you have to report to your King?"Yugi asked.

Timaeus gave a small shrug. "I will not disturb him. He will tell me tomorrow." He sat in one of the lion-shaped chairs and began pouring them both some wine. He did not ask and Yugi did not offer. "What have they brought this time?" he asked rhetorically examining a thick clay pot and empty bowls. The broth was sizzling and smelled of fresh herbs and baked meat. Vegetables of onions and leeks sat regally on a separate plate. Another held thick cakes of bread piled high between them and for desert: peeled figs lathered in honey and date juice.

Yugi grabbed one of those and devoured it greedily. Juice drizzled from his chin and sticky honey goldened his fingers, and Yugi licked up every drop.

Timaeus grimaced. "How on earth can you eat that?" He shuddered and blew on his sew before sampling meat he assumed was duck judging from the succulence of dark meat.

"You don't fancy sweets?" Yugi asked flabbergasted.

"Not in the slightest," Timaeus said grimacing and surrendered the remaining fig. "I enjoy fruits enough but honey and dates are far too much for me."

Yugi grinned and devoured it, before whipping his hands and dividing the bread between them. "Am I to assume you will be joining me for all my meals now?" Yugi asked, teasingly.

Timaeus grinned "If it pleases you. I've come to enjoy our time together, when you choose to acknowledge my presence."

For a brief moment Yugi wondered if he meant the kiss, but immediately decided against it. "I suppose you're not terrible company, and I imagine you must be terribly bored without the hem-netjer to harass."

Timaeus beamed at the praise, backhanded though it was. "I'm actually more pleased, I do not have to attend those meetings." Timaeus finished his meal and stretched his long legs. "Interrogations bore me to tears, but sadly I have nothing else to do for the rest of this tenday." He complained with mock wow. "At least your company made this one day pass by much more pleasantly."

Yugi snorted. "Was that supposed to be a compliment?"

"If you wanted it to be?" Timaeus purred with a roguish smile.

Yugi shook his head "You're impossible."

Timaeus chuckled and spotted the senet board on a separate table. "You enjoy games, Yugi?" he asked with curious flirting.

Yugi's eyes darted to the board. "I do," he confirmed with a sly smile. "Very much so."

"Care to play then?" Timaeus challenged.

"Are you sure? Senet is a little complicated for new players?" Yugi warned but he was already setting up the pieces.

"I assure you, little one, I am a quick study." Timaeus said removing his gloves. A tanned hand gathered the sticks and with a roguish smile he tossed them on to the table and they began to play.

Yugi read the lines and deduced the spaces and watched Timaeus move an obvious piece and grinned. It was too unfair, his advantage. He'd been playing since he was a child and already knew a strategy. He took his turn and grinned when the sticks came up four. Already he was past the first obstacle and Timaeus was lacking behind.

"Careful," Yugi warned teasingly. "You're approaching the river."

Timaeus grinned as Yugi took his turn. "How unfortunate for me that I come from a kingdom that knows nothing of crossing rivers." Timaeus teased and watched as Yugi made an obvious mistake, so well masked only a true player would see the error.

"Best be careful, little one," He warned, teasing Yugi as if reading his mind. "It'd be a pity to come so far only to have to start over again." He rolled the sticks: a two. He missed the river by a single space.

Yugi rolled his eyes, and moved his piece two squares. Underplaying his skills or not, he would never make such an obvious mistake. With Timaeus hot on his tail, he turned his focus to the game. "You're not a bad player, I'll admit."

"Why thank you," Timaeus said with gracious gratitude. "But speaking of play, you should leave this room more often and enjoy yourself more."

"I leave plenty," Yugi protested playfully. "You just never see because you're always waiting in the Audience chamber. It's your turn?"

Timaeus rolled without trying. "I like to be kept updated on any and all current events," He said in his defense. "Be it interrogations related to my King or how often my charge is left sleeping until Amun becomes Ra." He laughed when Yugi glared and puffed his cheeks. The effect no more threatening than a frazzled kitten forcibly given a bath.

"My sleeping patterns are hardly your concern," Yugi hissed, again not unlike a kitten in Timaeus opinion, as much of his energy seemed to be spent keeping his pale cheeks pink and not crimson.

"They are when you sleep away half the day," Timaeus said with a patronizing finger and a roguish smirk. "One would think you've taken a lover with how late you sleep."

The sticks dropped from Yugi's fingers. His face blanched and froze and Timaeus' laugher exploded. "Have you no shame!" Yugi leapt up, screaming.

Timaeus didn't flinch. "You frazzle quite easily don't you?" He teased with a coy smile that made Yugi want to scream. He smoothly added, "Don't forget to take your turn."

Yugi blinked then followed his finger to the sticks. With knitted brows and his mouth a thin line, Yugi grabbed his piece, moved it then returned to glaring at him.

"There's no need to be shy, Yugi," Timaeus chuckled gathering the sticks in one hand and let them roll from down his palm. "You are a handsome, confident and witty young man well of age. Surely you've taken lovers, yourself?"

Yugi said nothing and took his turn. His flustered look darkened: his gaze intense and biting then it fell. Timaeus dropped his smile and it set in a bewildered frown. He blinked in confusion and Yugi moved his pieces with a casual shrug.

He blinked. "Have you?" he asked curiously picking up the sticks.

Yugi smiled at his confusion and said. "I am."

Timaeus jaw dropped and he staggered from his chair the sticks flopping to the floor. "W-What?" he chocked.

"Don't look so surprised," Yugi wanted to laugh but Timaeus pitiful stare ruined the effect. "Being a priestess's son requires a lot of travel and as you can imagine being a _guest_ of the hem-netjer didn't leave me much time to socialize." He explained flatly.

Timaeus flopped in his seat with a defeated look. "My apologies." His tone was low and apologetic. "I had not meant to embarrass you, Yugi."

Yugi looked up sharply with a blink of surprise. He's fingers brushed his forehead and he leaned forward, a tormented look of guilt etched stress lines across his brow and jaw. Yugi's brow furrowed with irritation. Did he think him some immature, inexperienced maiden simply because he was chaste?

"Had I'd known I would not have been so forward with you," Timaeus concluded, and Yugi could take no more.

"Stop that!" He stood and slapped his hands on the table. Timaeus leapt up, the board shook but none of the pieces moved. "I am not some naïve, fainting slip. Simply because I've not taken a lover of my own does not mean I am any more innocent than one that has. I could seduce a toad if I wanted to, I've simply decided that rather than enjoy casual flirtations I will wait until I find someone I love like my father and brother did."

Timaeus blinked twice then his lips curled into a smile. "That is certainly admirable," Timaeus praised with a nod. "I must confess, I was about your age when curiosity and loneliness simply got the better of me, but I must say." his face was radiant with mischief and green eyes glittered with delight. "I'm surprised, given your amorous teasing," he picked up the sticks and rolling them on the table. "I did not think a virgin could be so coy?" He winked.

Yugi flushed then challenged. "And what if I am?" He asked in a sultry song then with a leering smirk added. "Would it bother you if I had taken other lovers before having met you?"

Timaeus threw his head back in a hearty laugh, "Don't mistake me for the little village boys you're use to frequenting, Yugi. You may be young and vibrant, but _I _am in my prime. I am not so immature that all I think about is physical pleasure nor am I insecure in my performance that I feel the need to compete with your previous lovers. I have much more respect than that."

"Then we are in agreement," Yugi smirked.

"We are," Timaeus' grin widened playfully and there was a gleam in his eyes that hinted at naughty secrets. "Though I am curious, little one, if I may be blunt?" His tone was clear and needed no permission, "You are clearly confident in your seductions, yet you seem to blush quite frequently when this is a topic of discussion between us, no matter how indirect." He leaned closer, his voice deepening, lowering to a purr that rolled off his tongue. Yugi fought the shiver of desire chilling his spine. He'd be damned if he shook in this man's presence.

"So," he continued leaning closer, "Perhaps, it is not the act of sex or the desire for that that makes you blush, but me." It wasn't a question and Yugi had no answer. Timaeus was so close Yugi felt his warm breath ghosting his lips, and suddenly he remembered something else ghosting his lips, something softer and more tangible and so dangerously close like fire seducing one with its blazing colorful dance just before you were burned.

He felt Timaeus' fingers grace the back of his hand, then spider over his fingers then curl them into his palm, something secure between them. With a grin he whispered. "It's your turn."

He pulled away leaving Yugi breathless and blinking. He looked at his hand, the senet sticks secured in place.

Yugi swallowed a scream and threw them down in a harsh roll and took his turn. To his surprise his jumped right off the board. "I won?" he gasped, unable to hide his surprise. He glanced up.

"Congratulations," Timaeus purred, unsurprised: two fingers curled under his chin, watching him.

Yugi's eyes narrowed. "You let me win?"

His brows arched but the surprise didn't reach his voice. "I did no such thing. Perhaps it is you who underestimated yourself?"

_Or underestimated you,_ Yugi thought already resetting the pieces. "This time I want you're finest skill."

"As you wish," Timaeus grinned, taking the sticks in a firm hand and threw them down with practiced hands.

The game continued and Yugi was stunned, his guardian was such a fierce player. His own determination and strategy failed under Timaeus' practiced rolls and skilled moves, and it shocked him even more when Timaeus ended up winning their game.

"You are impressive," Yugi conceded, not bitter but exhilarated. "It's been a while since I've had a challenge."

"Indeed," Timaeus smiled. He glanced at the window then rose from his chair. Only then did Yugi notice the shadows flickering in the candle light.

"It seems we must depart for another night," Timaeus frowned with a chivalrous bow. "Good night, little one." He turned to leave.

He'd almost reached the door when Yugi banished his resolve and called "Timaeus?"

The guardian turned to his charge.

"Shall we break our tie tomorrow? After your meetings and I accompany the Royal Wife to the morning prayer?"

Emerald eyes glittered and he pounced on the suggestion. "An excellent suggestion. I would be delighted."

* * *

Hope you enjoyed their kiss ;) and Timaeus' reaction to finding out Yugi's a virgin ;) Personally that lotus scene was my favorite ;)

little note on the Egyptian Lotus, its actually not a real lotus and is actually a water lily but it takes about 3 days for it to sink to the bottom of the lake and then rise again and they rise around 9 in the morning (Egyptian time) and then close about mid afternoon so i thought it would be a nice touch and give them a way to break the ice.

IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT NOVEMBER: Okay, I decided to try and give NaNoWriMo or National November Writer's Month a shot in the chance to complete my rough draft of my novel the Red Kings, or at least get as many chapters done as possible, as such I don't want to have to stop at all since its a BIG project, so my goal this week is to get the remaining four chapters of Part I of Timaeus done and possibly the first chapter of Part II (u have it planned) but I'll be working four days next week, volunteering possibly three days and figuring out what I'm gonna do for Halloween, plus i always edit the chaps before i post them which also helps too, but the goal is to NOT loose time, so I'm gonna get as much done as i can this week, but even if i do, part one will end the week before Thanksgiving, so I'm not sure if I'll post Part two the following week or if once i get a few more chapters written.

November is gonna be a busy month, but I absolutely LOVe you guys and i LOVE LOVE LOVE this story even more, and though i haven't yet missed an update, but I want to let you all know since my original work is what I want to focus on in November. Thanks for understanding, everyone.

ON THAT NOTE! I know some of you have expressed interest in reading some my original work, so if you're still interested I have an experiment i want to do with my Red Kings novel: I want to have two groups, one that will read the story a chapter as a time (usually i'll e-mail or doc manage if that's better for some people) the chapters once or twice a week depending, and I'd love your feedback, comments, etc, and another group that i'll send the whole story too at once. Believe it or not, you get VERY different opinions for each method (which i learned at my Writer's conference) so if anyone sounds interested in that please let me know. If i can Finish the Red Kings rough draft my next challenge will either be tackling Wonderland or turning the Dragon's Rose into an original novel. So again if anyone is interested let me know as well as which group you think you'd prefer ;) Thanks everyone!

Second Note: if any of you haven't seen yet, i also posted a new fic idea which I'm debating making Knightshipping as well, so i'd love your feedback on it ;)

**_Next Time:_**_ As negotiations heat up, Yugi and Timaeus both begin to contemplate their futures-together-and the hem-netjer's true plot is revealed! _


	21. Chapter XXI: Revelation

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Sorry this chap was so late, but this week has been kicking my butt: work four days this week (and again on sunday...they're trying to kill me I swear it!) I started volunteering which is finally organized and on my days off I had to run so many errands any writing I got done was snippets at best. I'm still stunned I got this chapter done, but I have come to a few decisions about November so ...

PLEASE READ MY END NOTE ABOUT NOVEMBER IT IS VERY IMPORTANT!

For now...ENJOY HALLOWEEN'S UPDATE! HOPE YOU ALL HAD A GREAT NIGHT!

s always read, review, comment, critique, ask questions and enjoy, but BRACE YOURSELVES! this one's a doozy!

* * *

_Chapter XXI: Revelation_

Timaeus waited in the First Courtyard, an enclosed pavilion perpendicular to the Royal palace just beyond the "Window of Appearances", waiting for his daily summons. Morning negotiations were due to conclude at any moment and he was eager to learn if the growing days had loosened the Divine Servant and Divine Adoratrice' tongues. With practiced patience he leaned against the stone of an enormous bell-shaped column, grateful for the large shadows it cast over the courtyard. The heat was much stronger than it had been at dawn when the negotiations begin: though the mid-morning air was cool, the sun was hot and Timaeus felt the layer of sweet between his under-armor and his skin. The cool shadows were a welcome relief. He leaned against the enormous column and gazed heavenward. He wonder briefly if holding negotiations in the blistering heat would be enough to loosen their tongues, since any information their servants had given was vague at best and not secretive. It seemed whatever the conspiring siblings had planned not even their servants knew the ironed details: their obedience and loyalty was simply blind and faithful. He'd been right in assuming Yugi was just as naive, even if the little one was clever enough to notice subtle hints.

A smile curled at his lips. His little charge certainly made his own morning routine more enjoyable. He'd awake at dawn with a plate of Yugi's favorite morning treats, even when the honey cake fits made his skin crawl, and a bottle of morning wine; sometimes pomegranates on mornings when Yugi was particularly stubborn about rising. They'd continue their vocal games over senet of which Yugi's desire to best him had birthed a _fierce_ competitive streak that Timaeus found quite flattering. After breakfast, the day was a mystery though lately they'd split for lunch: Yugi would join his sister in the Temple of Amun for daily offerings and service and he would remain where he was now, determined not to miss a single detail. He would then speak with his King and comrade and the Per-a'ah would meet with his wife and brother for the noon meal. Then he and Yugi could reconvene for the afternoon. It was a routine he'd grown quite fond of repeating.

He wondered what it would be like to have such a routine all the time. He closed his eyes and imagined his charge perched eagerly in his room, waiting for Timaeus to bring the evening meal and answer more of his curiosities of which Yugi was an endless void. What would happen to the lad once negotiations were over? Would they part ways never to meet again? Would one end up staying or going in hopes of pursuing their relationship further? The idea has entered his mind many times. Yugi had spoken often of his dreams to travel. Perhaps Psusennes would make Yugi his Ambassador? Lord knew the boy would be good at it with that sharp tongue and astute wit. Or perhaps once things were settled he could invite Yugi to Locri as a guest? He had no doubt Yugi would love that. And what would happen to them? Would their game of cat and mouse continue until it reached it inevitable end? Would it deepen to something more? Would they be married? He could certainly imagine waking up to Yugi in his arms every night and grant him the romantic desire he craved. There were a thousand possibilities.

His musing ended when a strong light left him temporarily blind. Negotiations ended just as Amun had reached its peak and transformed into Ra. He left the pylon just as his men and King left the Royal palace. The Per-a'ah was not with them.

"Well?" Was all he asked.

"There have been no new developments," Dartz said with a grim expression, and then his smile softened. "But we _are_ getting close."

"How do you know?" Timaeus arched a brow.

"They have finally agreed to speak with us. They have not released any details of their activities, but they confessed their concerns with the religious freedom of the real, given past experiences, but they have found their confinements pleasing and Psusennes' willingness to listen to their side has encouraged them. He's confident we may have our answers at tonight's hearings."

"Excellent news," Timaeus agreed with a nod, but the hope didn't quiet reach his face. "Though if I may, it seems rather sudden, don't you agree? The Per-a'ah has made it clear he wants to negotiate peace between them, but they've held their tongues for ten days, now suddenly, they're ready to speak?"

"Time is a fickle mistress," Critias suggested with a shrug in his shoulder. "Perhaps they've grown just as tired as we have."

Timaeus said nothing, but looked thoughtfully at the sand. The Divine Servant's scheming smile haunted his thoughts. The smile he directed, not at them, not at the Per-a'ah, but at Yugi.

"We will know more," Dartz said in a cool tone, only used to silence a discussion. "For now, let us rest and enjoy this evening." It was a command, and Timaeus heard it. The grim knowledge blazing just beyond his King's neutral mask confirmed it.

"Hamos, Critias," Timaeus addressed each man. "Go without us, I wish to speak to His Majesty."

They knew the tone well, and left without further question.

Only when they existed beyond the first pylon did Timaeus lean to his King and whisper, "There is something you're not telling me." It wasn't a question.

Dartz' face did not change. "More something we have noticed," he said with a frown. "Our original plan was to wait a tenday and interrogate the priests' supporters before speaking directly to the Servant and Adoratrice, as to not enter that conversation blind. We spoke of the previous King and they had nothing but complaints. We spoke of the Royal Wife and they scoffed but said nothing, but when we spoke of your charge and why he was not allowed to leave the temple, they all had but one answer." He paused and let the information sink.

Timaeus perked up in an instant.

The King frowned. "Udjalah was their only apprentice. They _all_ said and each time we asked it was always the _same_ answer." He paused again. "Except it clearly is not an answer."

"You think they meant to involve Yugi in some way?" Timaeus said with outspoken defense, before he could swallow his tone

Dartz made no effort to scold him and simply shook his head. "If that was the Priests' plan then their followers had no knowledge of it." He scoffed. "Those answers were practiced and too-well planned. Even during our most," he paused again and coated the next word "_brazen _conversations they only had that answer. Even when fear and weariness loosened their tongues and they happily answered whatever details about the priests they could spare, the only answer they had concerning Yugi was that he was the priests' only apprentice. Tell me," He turned to Timaeus, his eyes hard and his words suspicious "Has your charge mentioned anything similar?"

Timaeus spoke only with conviction. "He believes his siblings sought to separate him from the Per-a'ah and his wife in hopes of stealing his affections from them. He never once claimed to be an apprentice or if he was, it was not of his own will. He's convinced their actions were purely spite."

"And do you believe this?" Dartz questioned, his suspicion had not faded.

Neither did Timaeus'. "I believe that is what Yugi believes. He's made it clear he's been nothing but a prisoner to their cause. It is not uncommon for priests to adopt heirs and the South has been under semi-independent rule for some time. It would not surprise me if they attempted to force that role upon Yugi against his will." Timaeus paused. "However," he paused again uncertain but his King's eyes demanded answers. "I do believe it is more than jealousy that drove them."

"As do I," Dartz nodded. "Now the question is, do you believe Yugi is in anyway involved?"

Timaeus said nothing, but his brows burrowed to a sharp V and his eyes formed sharp slits. Were he anyone else, it was a look that would've earned the lash, but Dartz never expected anything then less that honesty from his Dragon Knight. "No," he exhausted a sigh of guilt. "Of course you don't."

"Do you think Yugi is involved?" Timaeus challenged.

"Honestly," Dartz said flat, and then his voice softened. "I believe he is an innocent victim in all this, but whether he is aware of his connection or not, if those connections exist it could threaten the monarchy." He turned to Timaeus with blunt determination. "Let us hope to conclude this before it comes to that."

"Agreed," Timaeus nodded. "I will talk to Yugi again and see if there is anything else he remembers." He bowed to the waist and backed away before spinning back towards the Court where Yugi would no doubt be finishing rituals soon.

"Very well," Dartz concluded with a smile then added grimly, "But I warn you, Timaeus, whatever happens, remember that it is _peace_ we came here for. No matter the risk, we _must_ ensure that."

Timaeus stopped. The King said nothing else, but the words followed Timaeus all the way to the Temple.

X X X

Yugi couldn't remember seeing an offering ceremony so lively.

All seven Houses to the Lesser Gods were flocked by musicians banging sistrums and ringing methane beds in cacophonous harmony, artisans and other labors carrying massive stones of virgin sand into the pattern of an outer wall and farmers who tended the estates while the common people gave prayers and brought gifts of bread baskets, bottles of wine and bushels of fruits. At the heart of it all, was the House of Amun, where Mut and her attendants washed, anointed and elaborately dressed Amun, then revealed him to the people. Girls and boys alike spun like lotus in costumes bearing Amun's morning colors. Then one by one, gathered the common people's gifts of bread, fruit and wine, and placed them at the God's feet with respectful nods then dropped in elegant standing bows that reminds Yugi of a curtsy and slipped away.

Mut honored each offering to Amun giving thanks for all from the bounty of the Nile and the entire Delta and Desert's birds and beasts to the hopes of a bountiful harvest in the coming season. All while the common people waited outside the temple entrances, but nonetheless gracious and devoted in their prayers and praise. He'd never seen the common people invited to partake in the Morning offering ceremony, an ancient tradition restricted to the highest of hem-netjer. Traditionally, commoners honored the gods through the household shrines they kept in their homes. Even if no one but the hem-netjer physically entered the House, they graciously handed the hem-netjer their gifts and prayed as the offerings were carried to Amun's feet: this was not a secluded event, but nor was it the wild and lavish annual festivals where all were welcome and celebrated the Gods' glory with banquets of food and drink, and bouts of dancing and music. It was not overpowered by festivity but it carried all the social acceptance of it, as well as the simple and intimate charm of the common people.

It was nothing like the rituals held in the Waset House of Life where Menkheperre and Maatkare's ceremonies were little more than a display of power. Offerings were placed in silent, ritualistic order, Singers' hymns were dry and chanted in harmonious rhythm, and always ended with the Divine Adoratrice and Divine Servant throwing themselves at the feet of Amun screaming and praising in overzealous praise and dramatic speeches summarizing each of the God's divine greatness. And yet Yugi never once felt Amun presence there. Not the way he did when his mother sung lullabies to Mut and prayed in earnest desperation to Sekhment for her family's safety, and not like he did here in the city of Tanis among both its royal servants and the people who made the city great.

It made him wonder what other ceremonies had been held here: had majestic dancers guided Amun and his family across the river to Deir El Bahr for the Beautiful Feast of the Valley? Had mothers, sisters and aunts soothed laboring women and quieted newborns of in the adjacent birth house? Had Shepen Shemets been negotiated and signed and followed by a grand party celebrating the wedded union? Oh Ra, was he really thinking about marriage? And children? As if he could focus on anything lately but the rouge sonorous bass that he woke up to every morning and the glittering gleam of green under dark lashes. Yugi giggled and tangled a hand in his bangs, still damp from the morning's ritual cleaning. The sharing of laughs and secrets over whatever Timaeus brought for breakfast had become their own morning ritual the last few weeks.

Finally, it was Yugi's turn and he glided across the sandstone pavilion. He offered his hands to a young couple who gasped then dropped their basket. Yugi thought nothing of it and spun to lift it before handing it off to a dancing girl who carried it deeper into the Heart of the House where Amun shined in all his glory, and handed it with a bow to Mut. Yugi's next guest was an elderly couple who smiled and surrendered their offering without hesitation. The next scoffed at him silently. Yugi blinked, but said nothing and bowed his head hoping to mollify their impatience and continued the ceremony. He'd continued the circuit several more times, and the commoners responses varying but Yugi ignored any rudeness and continued the ritual until Amun had transformed to Ra and Mut declared and spiritual transference of the offerings into the spirit world. The group cheered, and was followed by the sharing of the offerings, but instead of sharing them singularly among the hem-netjer, Mut had all the assistants including Yugi share them with the people. Yugi watched her gather armfuls of apples and bread and hand them to the poorest of commoners. He himself grabbed a bowl of dates and offered them to a group of children and watched her smile humbly in response to their zealous thanks. Already she'd earned their peoples love and turned a ritual as ancient as Kemet herself into a unifying ritual. She would make a magnificent Royal Wife.

He jumped when a mother snatched her child away from him and scolded him to leave. He shook his head and smiled when a girl took two more, and ran to show her parents. They looked skeptically at him, but Yugi only smiled. There was plenty after all. He didn't notice the shadow slipping through the dispersing crowd but remaining respectfully outside the entrance. He did, however, hear the bass chuckle behind him, and his skin shivered when words rolled off it in a sonorous baritone "Quiet a crowd, don't you agree?"

Yugi spun around. Timaeus leaned against the incomplete stack of stones with a bright smile and brighter eyes.

"Timaeus!" Yugi dropped the empty baskets and ran to embrace him. Timaeus spun to catch him and returned the hug: yearning warmth followed the familiar weight of Yugi in his arms. Mut giggled in the background and Yugi fixed her with a pout, not wanting to leave the embrace just yet.

"Your pardon, Great Lady," Timaeus bowed his head with overdramatic grace. "Would you kindly bestow me the privilege of your charges' company?"

Mut laughed, "I would happily grant your request, Good Sir," she played along, then with a mock pout added. "But I'm afraid it is not I who can grant that request?" she smirked at Yugi with a cat-like grin that turned his cheeks red. "Tell me, Yugi, would you do our guests the honor of offering him your delightful company?" He cocked her head in a birdlike fashion.

Yugi rolled his eyes, grabbed Timaeus hand and pulled him away. "We shall reconvene in the morning, Great Lady."

"Do be late," Mut teased, and Yugi's blush deepened.

Timaeus chuckled then out the corner of his eye caught an elderly man straggling towards the temple then tossed something sparkling that Timaeus found eerily familiar to the floor. Yugi hadn't noticed the action but Timaeus arched a brow at the rude gesture. He stomped away before anyone could call him on it, but the offering was nonetheless retrieved by one of the assistants and brought before Mut who examined it with both hands.

Timaeus couldn't shake the feeling he'd somehow known who that man was.

X X X

They'd decided on the pleasure lake for the evening meal. The evening sun was hot and the trees provided much needed shade. A meal of fish and duck surrounded by vegetable sand barely bread was set on a grass mat with two glasses of wine, they clicked together in cheers.

"So how faired your morning without me little gem?" Timaeus teased with a small sip. "Not too lonely I hope?"

Yugi rolled his eyes. "Honestly, I was so lost in the business of the day I didn't even notice you were gone?" He laughed at the barely disguised pout settling on the man's face. "I do enjoy the morning offerings," he confessed, setting down his glass and gazing at the Pleasure Lake, brightly painted by Amun's light. "It's been quite a while since I was part of something so intimate."

"I can imagine," Timaeus agreed. "Is it my understanding that the High Priests were not one for social affairs?"

Yugi snorted, then laughed "Oh no, for them, everything done to invoke the Gods was sacred and had to be done correctly to the last detail. They were such boring events; it's no wonder I never felt our Divine One's presence there."

Timaeus cocked his head with a grin. "And I suppose being the King's son and child of Sekhment's priest, those rituals were mandatory things?"

Yugi shrugged. "Not necessarily, inheritance is not the same in Kemet as it is in other countries. It is true that many titles and positions are descendent through elder children, and most often we are chosen for our positions, but it is not mandatory that we accept. I may be the former Per-a'ah's youngest kin, but hardly bestows me as much power as people think it does. To be honest, I did everything I could to avoid those rituals. I was not a hem-netjer, nor did I have any desire to become one." He explained flatly then hooded his eyes, 'Speaking of that, has there been any new information?"

Timaeus paused his meal. "Not yet, but my King is confident the High Priests will speak soon. They sound…eager."

Yugi recognized the tone. "But you do not think so?" Yugi asked but in his tone it wasn't a question.

"I believe it was more than petty jealousy that spurred their actions against you and the Per-a'ah," Timaeus said grimly. "What that is, I know not, but I find it odd that they claimed you as their only apprentice."

Yugi chocked on his drink then swallowed. "They did?" That couldn't be right. He'd received no priestly training, never asked to assist with daily rituals and prophecy. His lessons had always been of history and finance, and scribing ancient laws and customs, hardly what one taught a hem-netjer whose duty was to ensure the universal survival and substance of the Gods and the country's faith. "That's not true. I was never their apprentice."

Timaeus arched a surprised brow. "Then why would their assistants and aides claim such?" The suspicion in his voice was more to himself then directed at his charge, but his mind was spinning and once more the High Priest's cruel smile flooded his memory and the old man at the temple came fresh into his memory, though he was unsure why. "None of this makes sense."

He paused then seized Yugi's shoulders gently. Yugi's spine shivered but unlike before it was not from desire. "Yugi?" Timaeus' voice was gently, but his face was neutral, his lips a hard line and his eyes unreadable and cold. "Are you _certain_ they said nothing to you?"

"I-I'm sure," He stuttered, fearfully. Any other time the accusation would've insulted him. "I mean," he added looking away, but still felt Timaeus cold eyes piercing him. "It's not uncommon for hem-netjer to adopt heirs. It's not illegal for them to marry or have children, except for the Divine Adoratrice, but I'd never…they knew I didn't—I never wanted the 'destiny' they kept predicting for me." He suddenly felt slow, stupid for missing what should've been an obvious answer and his ignorance scared him. "Menkeperre and Mut always hated Pas and Mut, because they were more like parents to me then siblings." But it was only natural that happened, if he really thought of it. He'd been so young when his father died, and Pas, as oldest had taken over his role in the family, and it had been Mut who held him every night after his mother died. He'd never hated Menk or Maat, truly, but they were further away, and they had duties, it seemed selfish to burden them with his feelings when they had such a large responsibility placed on their young shoulders. "And for that my life has been nothing but a burden bearing the weight of their pride and expectations for a pointless cause."

"I don't understand," Timaeus whispered a growl to no one. His fingers tightening around Yugi's shoulders, and he immediately flexed them when he heard Yugi whimper. "What cause? Why would all their servants claim you as their apprentice when they knew full well you were not? Why would they _now_ decide to speak? Why would they go to such lengths to keep you with them if for such a simple reason as love?"

"Because love had nothing to do with it," The boys split apart with a jump and spun to the grave tone. Dartz stood in the buttress of the King's chambers: his face fallen and his eyes unreadable. Hermos and Critias were on either side of him, and unlike their king did nothing to hide the anger in their eyes. Anger, he realized, they directed at Yugi.

"The Divine Servant and Adoratrice confessed their…plans to us," Dartz admitted but his voice was low and defeated. Behind him, Timaeus and Yugi saw the Royal Wife was raging and the Per-a'ah could do little to sooth her, she was nothing like the lively uniter they'd seen earlier that day.

Timaeus turned to his King, he said nothing, but eyes commanded he speak.

Dartz frowned. "They claimed that," Dartz paused again unsure how to speak. "They didn't not believe their elder brother was a suitable contender for the throne and they sought to replace him with a more…compliant candidate."

Timaeus' eyes widened. He barely heard Yugi's gasp, lost in his own shock. It had been Atlantis' original assumption until they'd invaded the temple and found no such puppet.

"Who," Timaeus demanded, and immediately wished he hadn't, because Dartz looked right past him and his eyes fell on Yugi and they were full or remorse. "_You, _Ujalah. They named you as their puppet master."

It was then Timaeus realized he had recognized the glittering item the rude old man had thrown onto the temple floor, because he'd seen it: it was the brooch Yugi had given him, when he was bartering with Rebecca for his stock.

* * *

And...Long Live the Queen of Plot Twists (sips wine with a Kuriboh in her lap) No joke, I make that my Halloween costume this year to go with my Black and Gold masquerade mask ;) I warned you all! I warned you something big was gonna happen!

Glossary of Terms:

*Little Historical note: during the 22nd dynasty, aka this time period, woman took the helm in religious orders, with the main morning ritual being when they washed, dressed and "fed" the statue of the God through offerings, once a day the Gods would embody their physical representation and devour the offerings by converting them to spiritual energy which would then be fed back into the universe, thus the priest were literally providing the god wish substances to live and thus maintain the order of the universe. It was also usually done only by priests and priestess that ritually cleanses and common people worshiped deities in similar manners at home (after the ceremony the food would them be shared among the priests and family). Temples also functions as actual estates with architectures and artisans, farmers, laborers, etc so temples were huge business and economic centers as well. I doubt people actually brought offerings to the temples and prayers at the smaller ones, like I portrayed here but it seemed like something Mut would so and given how big religion was I think it fit.

Beautiful Feat of the Valley-a ritual festival dedicated to Amun and his family, held in Shemu Seasa (summer) where Amun crosses the Nile to Deir el Bahri; one of the most important annual festivals

Shepen Shemet; literally "price for 'marrying" a woman; a ceremony a marriage celebration following the "marriage" of a man and women (in ancient egypt this was when a man and woman set up home together) with the signing of a formal contract between families, using the term hemet, female partner and hi, male partner

Birth house: since children were extremely important in Egyptian society and infant fitalty was high birth houses were part of most major temples: an enclosed, warm, and womb-like room where woman would squat on birthing bricks and tended by the females of her family and occasionally priestesses, though worship of childbirth goddesses were household affairs and there is little on the subject, death in childbirth was very rare (the Egyptians used a lot of herbs with drug like qualities, primarily opium) and offered assistance so the woman were usually safe and both her ans the child were cleaned and sanitized continiously for a week (ten days) or so to keep evil spirits from entering the baby's soul (names were also given right at birth for this reason) and after the purification rituals mother and child were permitted to leave and join society, so death in childbirth was rare but infant fatality was still pretty high due to the era

IMPORTANT ABOUT NOVEMBER:

As many of you know from my last note, its been an INSANE two weeks for me, work is kicking my ass in the evenings, I've had tons of errands, mostly family-run, and volunteering has been crazy, now I have things under control now and it seems to be slowing down somewhat but I have been unable to finish any more Timaeus chapters and even if I did, I'm still trying to plan an organize part 2 with very little time or success.

I'm also having little luck with preparation for NaNoWriMo, but my goal is still to finish writing my novel, or at least the first half that I have so far though I feel once I got right into it and just write the rest will come to me much easier. As such, I've come to a decision:

I'm taking off the month of November from updating until December: my goal is to write as many chapter as possible both for m novel, my poetry and Timaeus so when I return in December I'll have a freshc rop of updates both for you my lovelies, and my writers friends who are interested in Reading Red Kings: I'm looking for as many people as possible, so far i have three people interested in reading it chapter by chapter but I still need people who wanna read the whole draft. Due to my masters, finding a job and just a lot of issues in general my creativity has been on the fritz until May and this summer and I've finally got it back and I don't want to lose it, so taking part in NaNoWriMo is primarily for me to test myself and get back into te habit of writing early in the morning into the afternoon without interruption like I used to do, even if this is only a few hours a day due to life's complications but its been something I've been planning to do for a while but never got the chance to, but i KNOW i can do it, I know cause Ive been able to do it in small portiona with Timaeus, and I know this will also help me with Timaeus too because it will help clear my mind and help me think and get the ideas turned into scenes.

So that said I apologize, but there won't be any updates for the next month, so I hope this one will keep you all guessing and in suspence until then. My original plan was to take a break after I finished part one since it has about 3 to 4 chapters remaining depending, but my goal was also to write those chaps starting last week and finishing them this week, as we all see how that turned out and i REFUSE to force a chapter, so I thank you all for your patience and promise, in December, I will be back with more chapters to spare ;) and if all goes well I'll get Red Kings' draft done and finish off Timaeus with the Atlantis arc ;) which will be a LOT of fun ;) Trust me on that!

Thank you all so much! All your wonderful feedback, comments and your genuine enthusiasm and interest inspires me and keeps me going! I promise it will not be in vain!

Until then...Long Live The Queen!


	22. Chapter XXII: Spite

Well, this one was an absolute BITCH! I must've re-edited and rewritten this one thirty times to get it right and get the flow going and most of all to make it make sense, since this is where we learn everything! Phew! Again thank you all SO much for being patient!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot, and and all characters and events pertaining to real places and historical figures are purely fictionalized versions of themselves. Characters all belong to Takehashi and Koonami

Dedication: to my wonderful readers and reviewers for their phenomenal patience and understanding! I love you all!

* * *

_Chapter XXII: Spite_

For a whole minute, Yugi could speak, couldn't think, and couldn't breathe.

Neither did Timaeus. His mind scrambled for answers, or some other scenario that would possibly make sense of the situation. No ideas came.

The darker part of him raged with betrayal, shamed that he'd been deceived by a desert flower with pretty eyes. His logical mind reminded him of all the facts and to consider all outcomes. Another part of him, a smaller part with the loudest voice, remembered their senat games and evenings when they'd watch lotus bloom. He listened to all of them and with neutral conviction, turned to his paralyzed charge. In that brief moment where their eyes met, Timaeus immediately perceived from the horror on his face that they were equally aghast and offended as each other. His rage softened, his logic scolded him and the small piece could not have been louder in its pride. Yugi was in no way privy to this scheme.

"I see," Timaeus said flatly, and the coldness was like a whip across Yugi's side. Then his hand brushed Yugi's chest when he moved in front of him.

"What _exactly_ did they say?" Timaeus' tone was flat. _Oh Mut please no, did he_—? Yugi risked a glance. Timaeus' face was chiseled granite and Yugi's hope died. Gone was the spunky courtier who challenged him with flirtations and senet games, and the man whose soft heart he'd seen in small glimpses. The Trierarch had returned. And he was not pleased.

"They claimed," said the King with an expression Yugi couldn't read and Timaeus knew well. "That their reasons are quite simple. They feared their brother would be an unjust ruler like his predecessor, believed he would claim authority over their father's House and cease Waset's profits for his own. Fears, they claimed, were confirmed when he usurped the throne of Amun with his only claim being he has the blood of Ramses' daughter."

It made sense, Yugi realized. His father had married into the 18th Dynasty when he was still Leader of Amun's hem-netjer. When he became Per-a'ah the hope was that the union would eventually unite the two lands through their children and keep peace between the two nations even though he ruled the desert independently from it.

"A claim," Dartz continued "They say with muted by the fact that he is not the only child of Ramses descendants."

His gaze fell on Yugi. A question formed on Yugi's lips then died in dreadful realization. He shook his head, silent in his horror.

"They claim Isetemkheb was also a daughter of Ramses XI and that you are his heir not only through a much loved wife of the previous king, but a strong and beloved priestess of Sekhmet whose cult also has ties to the Capitol. As such, they believe you are chosen by Divine Rite as well as lineage."

"That's not true," Yugi protested in a weak voice and shook his head, panicked. "Yes, I'm Per-ah Pinedjem's son and my mother's was a hem-netjer for Sekhmet but I'm his youngest child and by his second wife, not his Royal one. I have no ties to that throne. That destiny was never mine to inherit." He protested, but the denial was for himself. Pas had always been the oldest, always shared their father's dream of reuniting the Desert with the Delta. His marriage to his wife was meant to symbolize that unity and his children were the heirs to both houses. Pas knew that, he accept it, and Yugi had always longed for that day. "Pas was always meant to be King."

"Perhaps," was all Dartz said. His face did not change. "But she _was _still a daughter of Ramses XI. She was beloved by both her King and all of Kemet. _You_ are still her son. You are still a descendent of the 18th dynasty. You may be the youngest son, but you are also the only one left to act as heir if your brother were to, in any form, is unable to." The words were cold and flat.

Yugi tried to argue but found he could not. Surely it wasn't true, he had so many siblings, and he couldn't be the only heir if Pas had no sons. He tried to categorize them all in his head: Pas was eldest, Mas and Djed were dead, Menkeperre was Divine Servant, Maatkare and Mut were Royal Wife and Divine Adoratrice. His other sisters, Henuttawy and Nuanally were Singers of Amun at Waset—and girls, he realized with dread. He'd never categorized his family before, but when Mas and Djed death left Menkeperre Divine Servant, there truly _were_ only two candidates for the Son of Ra position.

"_And_," he added with a harsh undertone. "You are beloved by the Per-a'ah and his Royal Wife. So much that they believed he would never challenge you for the throne and surrender immediately since a war, if he won, would mean your execution."

At the word Yugi's heart stopped and he felt Timaeus grip on him tighten. His eyes dropped to floor, his face a mask of betrayal and shock.

"You would be their puppet and they would rule through you. Whether you were directly involved or not. You _are_ part of their plot." Dartz face was neutral but his eyes were sympathetic. Somehow it made it all worse.

"I won't believe it." Yugi shot up at Mut's rage. The King's Royal Wife stormed in, anger etched into every curve of her lovely face. "I won't believe it until I hear it from their mouths, and even then I will not be folly to their lies!" She hissed in conviction.

"I agree," Timaeus said with a harsh, sarcastic laugh. "Is this their strategy then? They know they've been beaten so they've chosen a scapegoat?"

"They don't claim he's a scapegoat," said Hermos in a rough voice. "They claim he's a conspirator."

"The priests can claim whatever folly they wish it does not make it true," Timaeus said with biting force.

"No," Critias snapped and rose to his full intimidating height. "They claim he's their leader."

Timaeus did not flinch. "And we would be fools to believe such without evidence."

Critias eyes hardened. His gaze fell on Yugi who flinched under it. "Perhaps you'd feel differently if you were not infatuated with the accused."

This time Timaeus did flinch: his brows furrowed, his hands curled into fists, and his teeth clenched in an angry growl

"Enough." Dartz silenced with a cold snap. The knights obeyed, but not without reluctance. The King turned to the Per-a'ah, their gazes neutral masks of delicate uncertainty. "My friend," Dartz began. "May we speak in private?"

Pas considered the request. "I'm going as well," Yugi declared emerging from the shelter of Timaeus' cloak. Pas and Dartz blinked.

"With respect, Prince Ujalah," Dartz began, "Given the circumstances your presence may be a conflict of interest?"

"This is my life they tried to play with," Yugi demanded fiercely. "I have just as much right to know their plans as anyone else. You said so yourself, unwittingly or not, I am involved, and I want to know how much. I need to know."

Timaeus smiled. "Then I insist I accompany you." Yugi spun around and Dartz shot up. Even his fellow knights gasped when he stepped forward. "I am still your guardian. Your safety is my primary concern. Whatever they have to tell you, I will listen." His tone held no room for argument, and Yugi smiled.

"Then you must speak to me as well," Mut insisted, her lioness eyes hard and fierce. "I am the Queen of this land, and I am their sister. This fight is just as much mine as it is my husband's."

Pas looked at his wife, her eyes hard; his brother, desperate and finally Timaeus, whose hard eyes and chiseled frown and the way his hand never left Yugi's shoulder, spoke of his fierce protection. He turned to Dartz.

"I don't believe private conversations are possible, my friend," he said with a small frown. "What do you suspect?"

Dartz turned to his men, then the Queen and once more to the Per-a'ah. "I don't believe they ever had any intention of replacing you as ruler, nor did they intend to make your youngest sibling their puppet."

The Knights did nothing to contain their surprise. Mut's anger dropped. Yugi exhaled sharply, and leaned into Timaeus side. It was all he could do to keep from collapsing.

"Neither do I," Pas agreed, his face the same chiseled granite as Timaeus'. "My brother covets the freedom to rule, not the power to do so, he's ambitious but he's not reckless nor is he stupid. He knows history does not look kindly on a brother killing a brother. More so, whatever hatred he feels for me, he would _never_ put Yugi's life in jeopardy."

"But he wants us to _believe_ such?" Mut interrupted, skeptical. "Why claim that as their objective when they know well it constitutes high treason?"

"And it would've failed regardless since if not because of the King than because of their chosen's reluctance." Dartz said flatly. He acknowledged Yugi with a nod. "So why indeed?"

"I don't know." The Per-a'ah spun on his heels and thundered into the Great House. "But I intend to find out."

"Pas?" Mut called after him, but he didn't answer. Yugi regained his senses and burst after him, Timaeus not far behind. The King and Royal Wife hurried after them and the Knights followed.

"Pas?" Yugi called in a gentle, pleading voice. When he stopped, Yugi recognized the audience room. The doors opened with a loud boom like a small tremor. The thrones had been cleared away and replaced by comfortable chairs around the dais.

"Menk!" Pas' said in a roar of thunder.

Menkheperre sat like a spoiled cat on a simple wooden chain in the shadow of the throne with a relaxed smile. Maatkare occupied the pillow at his side. "Funny," he chuckled. "I did not think you still knew that name."

"Enough of your games!" Pas roared his words dangerously low and lost all diplomacy. "You were always many things Menk, but you were never cruel, never blinded by greed. You never cared for power or prestige, you never wanted father's throne, so why would you confess to such a lie, knowing the consequences. Why would you deliberately involve Yugi, when you know full well he would never do harm to any of us, not even to you and Maat. So why?"

Menkhperre's eyes narrowed. "I don't have to explain myself to you." He stood. "You may be Per-a'ah but I am the Divine Servant of Amun. I rule the Desert not you! I've controlled Waset long before you became King and I have done so my way, and now I always shall." He laughed triumphantly.

The rest of the company poured in behind him. Pas did not flinch in his brother's presence but Timaeus did not fail to notice the curled smile he gave Yugi. He recognized that smile. The same smile from the docks. The smile of a child who'd captured a wild animal he couldn't wait to show off like it was a caged pet.

"What have you done, Menk" Pas demanded with angry authority in his voice.

Menkheperre smiled. "Exactly what I said I would," he grinned. "I told you why, I won't share Waset with _you_. I have waited too long for this! Amen's death was supposed to be the crowning return of The Great One's Divine Servants to power; instead you sought to claim us for yourself without once consulting me! And worse you took Mut with you. And even far worse you tried to take Yugi with you too, knowing how precious he was to me, he and Mut. Can you truly blame me for wanting to take back what you stole from me? What was rightfully mine?

"They were never yours!" Path roared. "I didn't choose to be Per-a'ah: I was born it! It was not my dream to unite the temple and the capital. It was Pinedjam's dream, our _father's_ dream! It was his hope that through us, his sons, our beloved country would have a true peace. Was that wrong of me? And regardless of your hatred to me, why the devil would you involve Yugi? He has nothing to do with us!"

Menkheperre smiled. "He has everything to do with us." His eyes fell sharply on Yugi and his smile twisted. "You could've had everything, Yugi," he shook his head with disappointment and obnoxious triumph. "I could've given you whatever you desired if you had only listened to me."

"I didn't _want_ anything you promised me!" Yugi shot forward and snapped. "I never did!"

Before the words would've stung, but now neither Menkheperre nor Maatkare looked affected. Menkheperre just shook his head. His sigh was full of pity. "You should have. It all would've been so much simpler if you had."

"Enough," The per-a'ah shot forward, and positioned Yugi behind him and into Mut's arms and Timaeus' waiting cloak. "I'll ask you only once more, Menkheperre. What. Is. Your objective."

For a long moment, Menkheperre said nothing, but his gaze fixated on Yugi, who was determined not to flinch. He stared at him hard, and stoic under the intimidating stare, but he couldn't stop his shiver.

Menkheperre smiled. "Our original goal," he explained. "Was quite simple. Without Mut's influence, we hoped that if you were under the same restrictions as us, you would sympathize with our cause, and then petition our dear brother to declare a separation between the Temple and the State. A plan complicated by your stubborn refusal to listen. You always were a spoiled child, Yugi." He shook his head.

Yugi growled, but Mut, squeezed his shoulder. Her face copied Pas' neutral mask. Then Pas' brows knitted together and his glare sharpened. Menkheperre rolled his eyes but obeyed the silent command. "We were forced to change tactics."

"What tactics?" Pas demanded humorlessly and patiently.

This time it was Maat who spoke. "Since, Yugi stubbornly refused to see reason," her tone was scolding like a disappointed tutor. "We were forced to continue without him."

"Continue what!?" It was Mut who spoke, and her words were a harsh, low roar, doubly sharp.

"Well," Maatkare sang in a singsong voice. "Since he couldn't play the part of our ambassador, we decided to use his influence over you in a more" she paused dramatically then said "_forward_ matter."

No one looked amused.

Yugi's fingers writhed at his sides and his shoulder shook with rage. Finally, he could bare it no long longer and shouted "What do you want? What did you want with me?"

Finally both Menkheperre and Maatkare spoke. "We wanted you to replace _him_ as our Per-a'ah."

Everyone's faces dropped.

Yugi couldn't speak and when he finally did it his mind didn't register the words "You… What?"

"You could've been our king!" Menkheperre spat with heartbroken rejection. "Through you we would have influence over the capitol and never worry about being displaced again! And you threw it away!"

"But…Why?"Overcome by dizziness, Yugi swooned and was easily caught by Timaeus. "Why me?"

Why indeed. It was what Timaeus has wanted to know this entire conversation.

"You're mad!" Mut gasped in horror.

"Are we?" Maatkare cocked her head. "Because it makes perfect sense if you think about it." There was something in the way she said it that sent Timaeus' mind spinning with uncertainty.

"Why?"Pas demanded, his voice was all breath. "Why would you jeopardize everything our father worked so hard for? Why would you risk your life for a plot doomed to fail? So you truly despise me that much?"

"Oh don't be stupid, Pas," Menkheperre snorted like he was scolding a child. "Of course I don't. Despite our bitterness, you are still my brother and I am still yours. I would never wish to take from you what you've clearly waited your entire life for, nor would I want to leave the house, but I want to make it clear I don't expect to take orders from you, not in my own lands, and now I now that will never be the case."

What on earth did that mean? Timaeus wondered. Surely, they didn't still think they had the upper hand? Yet the High Priest reeked of bravado, and the priestess slouched like a lazy cat with all the cream. What was going on?

Pas forced himself to restrain his frustration and shook his head. King Dartz swooped forward like a shadow aged by experience and placed a steady hand on his young friend's shoulder. "Is it true then?" Dartz asked in a voice low and relaxed as thunder.

"What?" Maatkare asked, bored.

"That you planned on making Yugi your puppet." His words dropped through the silence like a stone in a well.

"No," Maatkare corrected sharply, he eyes directly on Yugi who flinched under it. "We planned on making you _our_ king!"

Timaeus' eyes shot open, the last piece of the puzzle fell into place.

"I don't understand any of this, Menk. If you didn't want my throne then why? Why all this? Why Yugi?"

Menkheperre snorted and started to speak but Timaeus cut him off.

"Because he's the key to _you,_" Timaeus said sharply with his head bowed. All eyes turned to him, and to his pleasure, even the priest and priestess looked surprised, though they hid it quickly. "This was never about overthrowing the Per-a'ah, simply replacing his authority in the _desert_ with someone they approved of." Timaeus marched forward leaving Yugi in Mut's arms. "You never intended to overthrow your brother. You simply wanted to force him to relinquish control of Waset to you," He kneeled down to meet their eyes, a smile slit his face. "But you're a priest, and she's a priestess. Legally, you _can't _hold a position of true political power in title; it would simply be too much power for a single person." He spoke with jubilant sweetness. "But you _could _act as the power behind the throne, if your King were simple a figurehead, and since Yugi is the only remaining male heir of your bloodline, he would have to fill the role. Thus your victory would be thrice-fold: you'd have your power through Yugi, and you get to permanently separate him from your rivals for his affections, and you have the satisfaction of knowing they'd lost him to you. Your revenge would be complete."

Yugi was wrong. And so was his king. It was never about power. Or about love. Just a forsaken brother and sister brought together by mutually jealousy, hate and a love that was too selfish to be loved anything less but best.

Menkheperre looked shocked for a moment then his lips curved into a slit and he laughed bitterly. "Very clever, General. Very clever."

"So that was your plan?" Pas asked, his voice hallow. "To use my love for our youngest brother against me?" His fists shook at his side. Out of the corner of his eye, Timaeus saw Mut's grip on her charge tighten. Yugi hadn't stopped shaking.

"A brilliant plan," Dartz complimented bitterly. "Despite its cruelty. If they had declared war with Yugi as their leader, as a King you could've easily fought and won, but as a man and a brother, you would've had no choice but to surrender." The hand on his friend's shoulder squeezed sympathetically. "If you _had _fought—and won—you would've been forced to either exile or execute your most beloved sibling. Either way their victory would've been assured."

_Execute_? Yugi's hands flew desperately to his neck. He knew well the punishment for high treason: beheading. It would've _destroyed_ Pas and Mut to have made that decision, let alone _watch_ it.

"It would've succeeded without your interference," Pas said. He turned to his friend and smiled. "Thank you my friend."

"Haha!" Maatakare's laugh pierced the silence like an arrow at a coronation ceremony. "You think so fondly of your sea rats!" She spat. "Do you have _any _idea what he did while you were twiddling your thumbs, waiting? What he's stolen?" Her eyes fixated on Timaeus with the purest hate. "What's he's done since the moment you let him into Djanet?" Her voice was an enraged bark and a laugh of heartbroken pain, tears pricked her wild eyes and her hair flew about her wildly like thousands of living snakes, and her face was all madness. Even during her worst rages, Yugi had never seen her so frightening.

"What are you talking about?" He hadn't realized he spoke until after the words left his mouth.

Maatkare's expression dropped to enraged shock. "You…"her words were punctured with rage, then she exploded. "_Don't you dare play coy with me!_" She lunged for him and Yugi screamed, Mut pulled him into her and shielded him with her back, and Timaeus jumped between them but Pas and Menkheperre, caught her just before she collapsed. She was silent for a moment, staring at Timaeus, as he knelt to Yugi and the Royal Wife, holding him, and Yugi allowed him to. "How dare you!" She snapped. "How dare you act like you belong there!" She raged in wild whispers then shouted again. "You stole him from us!" She pointed an accusing finger at Timaeus who blinked.

"And you!" She glared at Yugi, and dragged the word through clenched teeth. "You…"

"I what?" Yugi demanded, tired of being afraid. Gently, he shoved his protectors arms away and stood. "What did I ever do to _you_?" The demand was fierce and harsh.

"You chose him," Menkheperre's words dropped as Maatkare collapsed into a heap in his arms.

"We waited for you to finish grieving for your mother, and we waited for you to adapt to life in Waset, and we waited for you to be done with your little rebellion…only for you to give your heart to a mixed breed _pirate_." He spat each word dangerously low. His infuriated glare fixated on Timaeus who blinked once.

Yugi was about to ask what he meant then he stopped torn between uncertainly and realization.

"Pas and Mut we understood, they'd always held your heart, but he…" Maat was shaking and snarling.

That day just before they arrived in Djanet, he remembered now: remembered Menkheperre accusing him of being Timaeus' whore, Maatkare calling him traitor. She hadn't meant their cause. She'd meant when he'd kissed Timaeus in front of them and Timaeus called him betrothed.

"We _worked _for your love, fought for it, did all within out power to _keep _it. We _deserved _it!" She was screaming now, but Menkheperre held her tight as she tore at her dress and hair. "And then _he _comes and you just _gave _it to him! Without him even _trying_!?"

Timaeus blinked twice, then his eyes narrowed and he pinched the bridge of his nose. "_That_ was why you did all this?" He said in a bored sigh that showed no sympathy. "Because you think he fancies me?" He rolled his eyes then looked t Yugi.

Yugi's eyes were hard but his smile was sharp. "How childish."

"How dare you!" Maatkare screamed and shook but Menkhperre's grip did not falter.

"Easy sister," Menkhperre's voice was all venom. "It no longer matters, remember?"

Maatkare's fury transformed into a smile. "That's right, it doesn't."

Something in her smile made Yugi shiver and Timaeus' reflexes doubly sharp.

"I have heard enough!" Pas thrust forward, his voice hard and commanding. "You will both be returned to Waset for service. Hence forth, as I have no desire to spill my own family's blood, you will be confined to the House of Amun. You are fortunate this knowledge is not public or the people would cry for your heads." There was no mercy in his voice.

The hem-netjer only smiled. "I expected no less," Menkheperre said. "Fortunate," he whispered to his sister, but made no effort to conceal it. "We won't be going alone."

Timaeus' ears perked up. "Per-a'ah?" he interrupted, and waited until Pas acknowledged him before he spoke again. "The consequences for rebellion in your county? What are they?"

It was not an odd question to ask and Yugi knew the answer, but it made him feel uneasy.

After a long moment, Pas answered "Depending on the severity of the crime and the roles of those involved, a public execution or exile."

"Roles?" Timaeus questioned.

Pas elaborated. "Supporters, for example, would have the choice between imprisonments or hard labor. The leaders, however, would either face public execution or exile if they surrendered."

"And…of course," Menkheperre chimed in, his deadly gaze, cold with triumph, locking on Yugi. "The same fate would no doubt befall the one who sought to _replace _the King as well, especially if the knowledge was well known."

The group spun to him. Menkheperre's only smirked and Maatkare crackled victoriously. " Oh yes! What would the people think if they found their Pharaoh pardoned the boy who planned to overthrow him simply because he's his brother?"

The words dropped like a stone in a well. The silence that followed was more dreadful than a scream. The final piece fell into place and Yugi shivered in shocked horror. Dreadfully, he remembered the strange events that morning, but only now did he remember similar sneers before, similar hard looks and scowls of hate the day before and how the episodes grew more and more frequent with each passing tenday.

Yugi stumbled back and fell into Timaeus' cloak and was easily caught by his arms. Mut had frozen her face a mask of shock. Pas had not moved. The hem-netjer smiled, and King Dartz hadn't stopped glaring.

"You were right, Timaeus," Dartz, who'd been unusually quiet, whispered. His voice was dangerous and low. "They _did_ have spies in this city."

* * *

Like I said hardest thing about this one was the set up: revealing the priests' plots without actually saying it and STILL making them come off as somewhat three-dimensional and not just flat villains out for power and all that nonsense. They had a reason, granted not a right one, but still. Phew!

Next chapter will be that first major plottwist i mentioned.

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENTS:

I asked before but never really got any response, i was thinking of changing my update patten to Wednesday night that way everyone can read the chap Thursday instead of Friday, since I know a lot of people are busy with school and what not. I volunteer Wednesdays and usually have Thursdays free from work, so would that be better? I ask cause i notice a lot of reviewers don't read the updated chap until a week later the day before the new chap is posted so I was curious?

**_Next Time:_**_ The plot has been revealed. Yugi's fate is no longer his own, and when a decision is made, Timaeus drops a bomb that will set literally _EVERYTHING_ out of whack._


	23. Chapter XXIII: Decision

IT'S FINALLY HERE! THE FIRST **_MAJOR_** PLOTTWIST OF THIS STORY FROM THE QUEEN HERSELF! (Takes an elegant bow) I think you've ALL going to like it... Let's Just say the moment you've all been waiting for it about to arrive...

This was a crazy week...hence why this chapter took a while to post. but since everyone's dealing with finals and what not i figured it wouldn't be that bad ;)

ANNOUNCEMENT: I've decided I'm gonna post on Wednesday from now one so everyone will get the update on Thursday. I've noticed I get a lot of reviews Thursday morning or Wednesday night so I think that will be easier for me and better fit everyone's schedules cause i got these bad boys done way in advance so it doesn't matter to me

Disclaimer: I own nothing

As always, read, review, reply, comment, critique, ask questions and go nuts!

* * *

_Chapter XXIII: Decision _

Timaeus spun to his King, and silently cursed. His grip on Yugi hadn't faltered. The truth of the situation and the gravity of it sank like an anchor through still water. Then a snort cut through the silence. Menkheperre and Maatkare exploded in laugher and the reaction that followed was a chain that couldn't be snapped.

The Per-a'ah and Royal Wife shot forward like pouncing lions. Mutnedjmet slapped her sister so hard she fell over in shock. Psusennes ceased the collar of the High Priest's robe and shoved him fiercely into unforgiving stone. "What did you _do_!?" He roared low and ferocious. His violet eyes blazed wild and dangerous with fury. His fist buried deeper into the man's throat and Menkheperre dangled, wheezing from the force of the strike. He tried to speak but his voice was heavy, ragged breaths.

"It's already done," the priestess hissed from the floor, her eyes wild and victorious. "You're too late to stop it." The Queen stood menacingly over her, and Timaeus saw the priestess flinch for a second before a moment then he face split in a grin of absolute triumph. "Whatever plans you had for him are gone. He's lost to you."

Her gaze fixated on Yugi as she spoke. Each word dripped with venom, and Timaeus felt him sink deeper into his arms.

Psusennes turned to the Priest again: his grip twice as hard, his eyes doubly sharp, and he punctured each word with rage. "What. Did. You. _Do_!?" He was tired of these games and it reflected dangerously in his words and on his face.

The priest gasped for breath and wheezed, "We let it slip to the servants how Prince Udjalah plotted to usurp the throne as the only child of our father's favorite wife, after his mother failed to make herself his Great Royal one," He paused to choke. "and how he sought to seduce your foreign allies to his cause."

Psusennes dropped him and he fell to his knees gasping, "You had your spies leak this information?" the Per-a'ah's voice was devoid of all emotion. "When?" he demanded, the neutrality of it made it even more terrifying.

"One ten-day after our arrival," the priestess sang, swaying back and forth, like she was singing a children's song.

Mutnedjmet's fingers twitched and curled, like she wanted to slap her sister again, but knew it would do no good, and so restrained herself.

"Enough time for the rumor to start and more for it to spread." She giggled in delight, looking right past her sister and fixated her twisted smile on Timaeus' charge. "And your fraternizing with your pirate certainly helped to confirm the rumors, you little slut." He words were sweet and pitched and devoid of bitterness and it made their cut even sharper.

"Why?" Yugi's trembled, tears dripping onto his shaking hands. "Why, why, why! Why would you do this to me!? Yugi screamed and tore at his hair and clothes until Timaeus grabbed his hands, and Mutnedjmet spun to his side. Tears streaked his cheeks, and scattered when he shook his head. "Do you truly hate me that much?"

"No, little one, they don't hate you." Timaeus stepped forward. "Just the opposite. They have decided if they cannot have your love for themselves than no one else shall."

Yugi stopped and the room turned to the Priest and priestess still on the floor. Menkheperre helped a still spinning Maatkare to her feet. She swayed and spun and her face was mad with delight.

Yugi shook his head, his eyes hardened and he squared his shoulders, but his hands still shook. "Do you honestly think this will make me love you?"

"I don't care," Menkheperre said quick and cold. "I don't care if you hate me! I don't care if you despise me! I don't care if you never speak to me again! I don't care! You will return home with us, and I will have you and _he_ won't." The priest spat the word through an abrasive rasp. "Whatever happens after that is nothing." There was a mad triumph in his voice when he said it, a cold triumph of a man who even when caught would perpetually taste the sweetness of revenge.

Timaeus shook his head in disgust and Yugi's hands curled into fists of rage and betrayal. "I'll never go with you!"

The Royal Wife stepped forward and hissed. "We'll never allow it!" The Per-a'ah was as her side in agreement.

The priestess threw her head back and roared with mad laugher. "You think it matters what you _allow_?" she cackled. "You think you can protect him now? His reputation is destroyed! Your alliance is ruined! The people know him as a traitor! He'll never be allowed to stay in Djanet now!"

"And if he does, their trust in their Per-a'ah will be shattered." The priest held the princess as she trembled with laughter. A terrible smirk for triumph crossed his face like a jackal that caught a rabbit that was convinced it had escaped. "You can have the Delta, but I will have the desert! Your influence will not touch it." His eyes fixated on Yugi as he said it. "I'll make sure of that."

The Per-a'ah shook with rage and moved to speak, but was cut off. "Per-a'ah," Dartz said flat and neutral. The Per-a'ah spun to him and Timaeus turned as well, bewildered. Dartz's face was pinched and his mouth was a frustrated line. Calmly, he asked, "May we speak alone?"

The Per-a'ah pondered the request then turned to the gloating priest and priestess. He nodded then turned to two of the Dragon Knights. "Would one of your Knights be kind enough to watch them? I don't want them left unguarded for a moment."

"Of course," Dartz nodded as Hermos stepped forward to volunteer. He bowed to the Queen and Princes then fixated a neutral glare on the pair. They took their seats again like they were about to share a drink.

Dartz motioned to the other two knights. Critias followed without question, but Timaeus hesitated until Mut placed her hands on Yugi's trembling shoulders. Yugi nodded to him.

"Perhaps," Dartz suggested, "It'd be best if your lady and prince waited outside?" he asked his voice deep with concern and sympathy. Psusennes hesitated.

"Go," Yugi and Mut said together.

"We'll be alright." the lady assured her husband and he nodded. The four men exited to another room, the door closed behind them but it was hardly a barrier.

Dartz nodded. "We have no choice," he sighed in a defeated voice. Psusennes and Timaeus looked at him. Critias expected the answer and did nothing.

Dartz regarded each man with a heavy sigh then spoke, "We have to send Ujalah back to Waset."

The shock was echoed by an eerie silence. The Per-a'ah's face narrowed in protest: the refusal in his eyes knife-edged and razor sharp.

"You're mad." Even Timaeus couldn't fathom any other response. "Surely, you of all people cannot mean—"

Dartz shook his head then bowed solemnly to his friend. "I'm sorry my friend," He met Psusennes with sorrowful eyes and a sympathetic frown. "This is our only option if we wish to save his life. He must return to Waset."

"How can you of all people..." Timaeus swallowed his exasperation. Enraged, but calm his words were vehement "Yugi has spent his life trying to escape the priests and now he is finally free from them and now you want him to throw him right back into their cage?"

"We have no choice!" Dartz said fiercely. "The priests have already claimed him as one of their own. The people believe him a traitor. If he stays he will be a threat to the alliance and the Per-a'ah's reign."

"So we make my brother a sacrifice." Psusennes bit out. His face betrayed no emotion. "Give the priests their hostage in exchange for a mock stability? He has done _nothing_ wrong, and I will _not_ have him sentenced for a crime he did not commit."

Dartz exhaled a sigh of defeat, his fingers pinched his brow. "I'm sorry, my friend, I truly am, but we must have perception here."

"Yugi is merely a pawn," Timaeus insisted, "And he is innocent. The people trust their Pera'ah more than the Priests. They will believe him if he calls out their lies."

Dartz shook his head solemnly. "The people's trust in their monarch is fragile. They know little of political situations and they judge solely on what they know to be true. The truth is secondary to their perception of it. And their perception is that it is their prince, not their priests who is the traitor. They will ask for his head."

"I will not have it," Psusennes said defiantly. "This is exactly what my brother wants: to back me into a corner and I will not have it! I will not give into his whims! I will not let him control me or Yugi!"

"And if we do not that is exactly what you _will _be doing!" Dartz insisted. The sympathy in his voice was matched by growing frustration. "I admit I am fond of your brother, but our care towards him is irrelevant. That is the burden we bear as rulers. We accept the people's gratitude for any success and the blame for any misfortune, and we are responsible for removing that misfortune. You know it to be true, my friend. Ujalah cannot stay in Djanet."

"This is madness!" Timaeus shrieked in frustration.

"It is the simplest solution," Critias stepped forward, leaving the King and Per-a'ah to speak. He turned to his comrade with eyes torn between bewilderment and displeasure. "We are not here to ensure the safety of one child. We are here to ensure the alliance is secure and Kemet is united, _that _is Atlantis' only role in this fight, Timaeus. Have you forgotten that?"

The accusation in his voice was not directed towards the alliance and Timaeus knew it. He spun to face him. His eyes hard, shoulders squared and his stance indomitable. "I have not forgotten. It is why I am determined not to let the priests control us. And why I will _not_ compromise my honor by sacrificing an innocent simply for our benefit!"

Critias growled. "You are a fool. You're letting your emotions blind you to simplest answer!"

It _was_ the simplest answer, even Timaeus knew that, but the very thought of handing Yugi over to the priests as a political hostage. The very thought of tearing away the freedom he worked so desperately for, the freedom that he'd only just started to taste…it was like recapturing a wild bird and returning it to a cage to serve as an exotic pet. The thought sickened him. It was impossible to think of it objectively. Not when the objectively choice was to sacrifice a child. It didn't matter if Yugi was a Prince. It didn't matter if it was his duty. It didn't matter if it was the simple choice or the right choice. It didn't matter if it was the only outcome. Because the Priests would get _exactly_ what they wanted. There would be no united Kemet. The reign of Psusennes I would not be a golden age but a continuance of a long chain of instability. And worst of all would be the child trapped, forgotten and alone in the shadows with the very people he despised and feared the most.

"I will _not_ allow it," His tone held no room for argument and the fight in his stance gave no room for rebellion.

Critias glared at him, enraged. The argument between the Kings bounced off the walls in shadowy echoes like howling ghosts demanding redemption. And then a voice so tiny it broke the sound like a single whisper of silence wept.

"You can't send me back," Caught off guard by how weak it sounded, Timaeus spun and his heart dropped to his stomach.

Yugi trembled in the doorway."Please?" He hiccupped through a tight sob, choked with tears. "Please don't send me back there! I can't—I" His words were panicked stumbling sobs and pleads that even Mutnedjmet couldn't mollify. When she touched his shoulders, Yugi reacted like a wound up spring and he flung himself to his knees pleading. "Throw me in the dungeons for the rest of my life! Imprison me in the House, whatever you must do, I don't care, just please don't send me back to Waset! I beg you, don't send me back."

Timaeus' heart broke. It was all he could do to keep from falling to his knees, like the Royal Wife had already done, and pull the terrified child into his arms and shield him against the world. He could not make those promises and it enraged him most of all that he could not keep them: A failed Guardian.

The King and Per-a'ah looked stricken with grief and guilt: the burden of their positions left them defeated and weak. The priests sat inclined on their cushioned chairs like they were thrones. The priestess prepared to laugh again and the priest's face was fixed with a smile of victorious smugness like a spoiled cat. Only his comrades looked objective, understanding the lesser of two evils but purposely blind to the emotional damage it would cause. And he, became the victim's guardian just to protect him, and had been blind to the weapon of lies.

Timaeus thought again and it gave him an answer. "Be easy, little gem," He knelt down beside Yugi. His words were so gentle, his voice so promising that for an instant Yugi was reminded of the first Timaeus, the one who held him trembling in Mut's temple, who'd comforted him with a drape of his cloak and held him as he cried, who'd kissed him so tenderly and passionately for a moment Yugi could pretend they were lovers brought together by the whim of Mut and the honor of Sekhmet. Yugi's tears stopped.

"That will not happen," Timaeus promised. His hands found Yugi's shoulders and gently hoisted him up. "I will not allow it." His said it over his shoulder. His eyes narrowed, and his voice hard and final, but free of defiance.

The room stared at him then his King regarded him with hard eyes. "_That_ is not your decision."

"With all due respect, Your Highness," Timaeus spun to face him and bowed slightly. "But it is." His mouth formed a smile as he rose and Dartz' eyes enlarged, surprised rather than shocked. Even the Per-a'ah looked more curious by his declaration than insulted.

Again Timaeus bowed, this time to Kemet's King. "He is under my protection and it was granted by his Eminence, Akheperre Setepenamun that I become his Guardian. I am _still_ his Guardian. Regardless of issue at hand, I have a say in his fate." Yugi's head shot up and his eyes expanded. What was he doing? Did he not understand the seriousness of what he was saying? A declaration made by the Per-a'ah was not easily given nor was it easily undone. It would bear the responsibility of the crime himself, and he would be charged with disciplining the accused. Regardless of the crimes, the responsibility always fell on the one charged with the ward's care.

Timaeus displayed only unyielding confidence. "And I will not return him to the clutches of his enemies. He is lost to them."

Silence echoed with his words. The Royal Wife and Per-a'ah exchanged mutual looks, shocked but sparked with hope. His comrades spun to him, Hermos with wide-eyed exasperation and Critias was stricken with horrified shock. Never had they seen him so defiant, though his loyalty remained unwavering.

His King said nothing, simply regarded him with eyes wide with incredulous rage and his lips fighting the twitch of an impressed smile. "Your passion for the prince's welfare is admirable," the king said ruefully. "But our personal feelings are secondary to peace. He may be yours to protect, but his fate is not yours to decide!"

"He is right, Lord Timaeus," the Per-a'ah stepped forward. "You are Yugi's guardian, but that role was always meant to be temporary."

Timaeus face remained neutral. His eyes locked with both King's then he spared a glance at Yugi who looked at him with hopeful eyes. Again his heart broke, but this time from guilt. He exhaled it sharply, then squared his shoulders and faced both kings.

A smile slit his face. "Not if I take him as my consort."

* * *

That's right. I went there. (Queen slouches on her throne in her black dress, sipping her Sunset Blush with a Kuriboh in her lap) It's Good to Be the Queen..

Bet none of you thought THIS was how they'd get married MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

**_Next Time:_**_ The bomb has been dropped and everyone has their own reaction, but silver-tongued Timaeus is ready to defend his case...even if his little gem never trusts him again._


	24. Chapter XXIV: Proposal

Sorry this one is a little late ^^' Holidays! but Here's my late christmas Gift to everyone!

Merry Christmas! Next week will be the last update of the year! WOOHOO!

Disclaimer: I own nothing, much of Timaeus points were inspired by the book The black Diamond by Andrea Kane. REALLY helped.

As always, read, review, reply, comment, critique and ask questions and now the moment you've all been waiting for...The reaction to Timaeus' Proposal!

* * *

_Chapter XXIV: Proposal _

The priestess stopped laughing. The answer was a rousing chorus of silence and Yugi absorbed it all in stunned disbelief.

Timaeus' gaze swept the room: Pas' face was the picture of shock, but his eyes were calculating. Mut's arms loosened around his shoulders, her eyes wide with surprise but there was a hint of a smile on her face. Then they fell on Yugi-and remained confidently stoic. Not a hint of apology or remorse.

After a long moment, King Dartz stumbled back flabbergasted. Then his breath expelled in a rush ""You…What?"

Timaeus didn't flinch. "I believe I have made myself clear."

"You would not dare!?" Maatkare chocked on her own shock. Her voice weak and shaking. She pointed a single, accusing finger. "He is ours! He was supposed to be ours!" Menkhperre's grip on his sister faltered and she dropped. His own shock broken in a rousing roar of anger "You dare!"

"Do I?" Timaeus cut him off sharply and aloofly. "Isn't that why you claimed he was attempting to 'seduce me to his cause'? I _did_ call him my fiance?"

"You fool!" Menkheperre dropped his sister and raged, first at Timaeus then at his older brother! "This madness would never be allowed! Tell him Pas!" He spun to his brother but Pas regarded him with cold eyes.

"You have no right to speak on the matter," Pas recovered all at once. The sharp words were like a slap across Menkhperre's face and it dropped in shock.

"Lord Hermos," Pas turned to the Knight in burgundy. "Lord Critias," He then addressed the Knight in blue. "Will you please escort these two back to their chambers. We have much to discuss with Lord Timaeus."

Critias opened his mouth to protest, but Dartz silenced him with a look. Dismissed with a nod, Critias bowed and reluctantly joined his comrade. The priestess screeched when Hermos helped her off the floor, her hands flexed in claws at Timaeus but Hermos' grip was stronger and he dragged her away. A prisoner to his shock, Menkheperre did not resist when Critias arrested him and dragged him from the chambers. Their protests bounced off the halls and entered the audience chamber in dying echoes and then there was silence.

Yugi regarded him with incredulous eyes. Timaeus wanted to say something, but knew he could not. Not yet. He could only hope in time, the gem would forgive him.

"Let us speak," Pas said, his words were harsh with restraint and he pressed his thumb and curled forefinger to his temple. His face was all business. Without looking at her he said "Mut will you..."

"Do not, Pasbahknuuit," she cut him off quick and sharp. "Marriage is the Duty of the Mother, and this is Yugi of whom we speak. I am Great Royal Wife. I am not going anywhere."

"Neither am I!" Yugi recovered himself all at once and cut off all objections. "This is _my _fate we're speaking of and I demand a say in it!"

Timaeus regarded him with a sad expression. "I'm sorry, Ujalah, but I'm afraid your fate is no longer yours to decide."

Yugi stumbled back, shocked. It wasn't the statement. Nor the harsh truth of it. Timaeus had called him _Ujalah_. It hurt more than it should have, and the betrayal was like a cold slap across his cheek. He let it fester in his belly and fixed the Trierarch with a glare. "And you _do_?"

Timaeus only smirked. "Did I not just say I wanted you for my consort, little gem?"

Yugi's face fumed with color.

"Enough!" Dartz snapped hoarsely. His hand covered his face and he exhaled sharply and evenly. "Timaeus," he said with a restrained hiss. "I hope you understand what it is you're asking?"

Timaeus spun to him and nodded. "I know perfectly well what I am asking. I never jest about my life. Nor do I jest about things I consider important. You know me better than that."

Dartz's expression did not change. "Yes, I do. Which is why I want to insist upon the gravity of what you're asking."

"I understand the gravity of marriage perfectly well," Timaeus said with a calculated smile. "I am unmarried and when I do I fully intend to do my duty by my wife and remain loyal to them as is both my law as a Locrian and my moral as a man. In accordance I have no present lovers, no prior engagements nor do I have any betrothed, correct?" He rose and eyebrow to the King but his smile was a thin line.

Pas and Mut exchanged a look then turned to the King for confirmation. The King looked shocked for a moment, then cross, then his eyes turned heavy with sadness, and, if Yugi had to guess, defeat. It wasn't loss or anger, or even the disappointment of being beaten, rather a awakened acceptance. A denial he'd held onto with the faint optimistic hope that things might change, even when he knew they never would.

"No," Dartz expelled in a huff. "You do not," he shook his head then looked at Timaeus with a small smile. "You are free to marry whomever you choose. Unless, of course, you were lying about being Ujalah's betrothal just now?" Dartz added with a sly smile.

The three Kemets suddenly looked surprised, and Yugi's heart sank. He wanted to scream. How could he have forgotten that! "That was a mistake!" he tried to mumble but Timaeus had cut him off.

"Of course, that was to dispel the misconceptions the priests had about my escorting Ujalah to Djanet." He regarded both the Per-a'ah and the Royal Wife before he spoke again. "They misinterpreted my and Ujalah's friendship as something less than proper. Now those false rumors have given the public a twisted ideal of our two countries' alliance," he said grimly, then smiled "However, wouldn't those rumors be completely groundless if it was revealed that Ujalah was my fiancé?" Yugi's insides twisted when Pas and Mut exchanged a calculated glance he couldn't read.

"Then his attempts to…seduce me, as the priests called it, would be seen as little more than a bridegroom bonding with his betrothed. It would reestablish the people's faith in the alliance, and dispel Ujalah of all wrong-doing, Just think of the stories." Timaeus spun grandly, addressing all three majesties. "The Prince of Kemet falling for the gallant General, who rescued him from the clutches of power-hungry officials, makes a much better story than a slip of a boy seducing a seasoned pirate to gain alliance to a throne that clearly isn't his. The people love a good romance, and even more they _love_ a Royal Wedding."

There was something brilliantly logical about it and sickeningly horrifying all at once and Yugi's mind spun.

"It certainly would…" Yugi froze in horror when Pas spoke. He spun to him with eyes wide with hurt and betrayal but Pas wasn't looking at him and neither was Mut.

"But from the way you speak, we are safe in assuming this isn't just a simple declaration to correct false information." Her face was sharp with the calculated curl of a smile and an unsurprised, all-knowing brightness of her eyes. "You speak of proposing a _real_ betrothal and are proposing an _actual_ marriage to our Prince?"

"Have I given any indication that I wanted anything less, Lady Majesty?" Timaeus' smile matched hers and the cat-like grin Yugi knew well returned to her face. Oh Amun, oh Ra, Oh Mut, no! They couldn't be? Were they actually…?

"You have not," Pas stepped to his wife's side and watched Timaeus with a guarded expression, but the smallest of smiles curled at his cheek. "But you'll forgive us our concerns. You really mean this do you? You're asking to marry, Yugi?"

"I am," Timaeus said with unwavering, undeterred earnest. "Now the question is will you approve of me as his bridegroom or forbid the union?"

"Your argument is sound," Pas said with some reluctance. "But I have no intention of simply handing my brother over to the first man who asks." Mut gave him a look and Yugi sighed with relief.

An unexpected grin tugged at Timaeus' lips. "Per-a'ah, I'll give you a wealth of reasons why you should consider my offer. First, as I mentioned earlier, the priests have named me as his ruinner. Second, all of our prime concern is Yugi's safety and for good reason. We can dance around the issue all we like, but the fact of the matter is that at this point, it is no longer possible for Yugi to stay in Djanet, nor would he be safe anywhere else in Kemet, as we are in agreement that returning him to Waset is out of the question. As my consort, he would accompany me to Locri where he will become a citizen of Atlantis. He has no enemies there, and more importantly, his enemies here cannot follow him. He will be rid of the Priests and their influence once and for all. You want Yugi safe and taken care of, he will be. For starters he will be an Atlantian citizen _and_ my husband. My titles may have little merit in Kemet, but in Atlantis, I am the First of the Dragon Knights, a coveted title, one of only three and chosen by the King himself, of which I am not only the _youngest_ but their Leader. I am also Trierarch of the _Eye of Timaeus _and my men obey me without flaw and if I order them they will protect Yugi with their lives. Locri is also my domain, and my position as its Governor, that alone gives me status equal to that of monarch in your country. Further, he will be _my _consort, and let me assure you that no one, I repeat _no one_ for whom I'm responsible has ever come to harm. As my consort, Yugi will be fully protected at all times—by me. Safety will cease to be an issue."

The smallest of smiles tugged at Pas lips. Timaeus' grin widened. "On to status, Yugi may be a prince in your country, but he possesses very little political or religious power, nor does he have any real influence. Such will not be the case in Locri. As the Consort of a Trierarch and Governor, Yugi will not only inherit those titles, but rule at my side, a position I am confident he will be well suited for. Not only will he be responsible for the needs of the people and their welfare but he will be acting Physician and responsible for the health of not only my household but the Island's physicians as well. Being a Priest of Sekhmet, he will have no trouble adjusting to such a role. He would also have my whole staff and all the ranks associated with the fairer sex as his kingdom, and I am confident in his abilities. Anything he needs to learn I will teach him myself, he'll have attendants to assist him when I cannot, and my quartermaster, who he is already close friends with, would only be too delighted to teach him."

"Now, on to finances," Timaeus continued "I have been Governor of Locri nearly six years, in that time I have turned it into a self-efficient and self-sustaining city. As Trierarch I finance the purchase of my own ships which double as battle ships if needed, but primarily as merchant and trade ships. That has allowed me to live a comfortable life in my own home, however I do not waste those comforts nor do I squander my savings. And, I might add, my association with the Royal Family, as an honorary member and a Dragon Knight, I am rewarded a modest, annual pension, far more than enough to support myself and my nation, but also enough to provide Yugi with whatever he desires. Your brother will never want for anything again, and I shall personally make sure of it." He shifted to look at Yugi a smile slit his face.

Yugi's fists curled, and he growled through gritted teeth. It was all he could do to keep from punching him.

"And what of children?" It was Mut who spoke and Yugi spun to her. "Would it bother you that Yugi cannot give you heirs?"

"My Lady," Timaeus explained. "The heir to Locri is not mine to decide. All the offices are appointed and chosen by his Majesty. I, of course, may present my chosen for consideration but ultimately it is the King who will decide. I will simply be his mentor. As to a more personal matter, I am well aware, neither Yugi nor I would be able to have children naturally on our own. However, Locri has many orphans to adopt and love, and as I have no intention of siring bastards, it would matter not to mean who bears our children should she choose to have any so long as that child is ours to raise. The decision will be entirely up to Yugi."

Yugi felt a weight in his stomach. Oh Ra, were they really talking about _children_? What made it worse was he himself had had the same thoughts not that very morning.

He paused and smiled to his King. "In addition, I am still an adoptive member of the Royal Family, and with that honor I am bestowed both the trust and respect of the people and an honorably nobility of the Royal Family am I not?"

Dartz smiled. "Indeed, all of which in turn would be Yugi's upon your marriage. Therefore, his title as Prince would be elevated to that of the Atlantian Royal Family, but associated with the titles and ranks associated with Timaeus' House and Name."

Timaeus arched a brow and gestured his hands. "Think of the delightful upheaval such a union will do for the alliance as well? The youngest prince of Kemet's new United Royal House and the First of Atlantis' Dragon Knights? What could be a better symbol of the eternal friendship and unity between Atlantis and Kemet? That alone would make it worthwhile. We could even have it here in the House of Amun to honor the bride."

The _bride_. Like they were speaking of a grand affair between mutual lovers and not an arranged political union done solely for practicality and safety. The _bride _who was expected to perform her duty, willingly and obediently without question. The _bride_ who would act as a bridge between her own family as well as her husbands, but forced to leave her family, home and country behind for that of her husband's. The _bride _who was the symbol and vehicle of connection between families and countries, even if she was nothing more than an ornament for the harem or a doll to sit on her husband's bed until he chose to play with her. The _Bride_. The word sounded so awful in his mind.

"I will not do it!" He hissed under his breath. The words echoed in the silence. "I will not marry you!" He said louder his voice choked with tears and rage. He fixated Timaeus with wet eyes, and his voice was hoarse with betrayal. "I am not some prize to be won and bartered off! And I'm not some helpless damsel you need to protect!" He said sharp and accusingly, but his hands were shaking.

Timaeus looked at him. For a moment there was surprise then his face fell to a frown and his single eye, a soulful emerald, emphasized apologetically by the pale, painful slit of his right eye.

_Don't. _Yugi couldn't stand it. _Don't look at me like that. _"I will not do it!" he declared, his voice breaking. "And you can't force me!" He spun on his heels and ran. He ran like he ran from Waset the morning he'd met Timaeus. He ran like he has when he's woken in the man's bed alone and surrounded by enemies. It wasn't fear. It wasn't survival. It wasn't freedom he desired. No, it was the memories tormenting his soul every time he closed his eyes. Of the Green Shadow and the terrifying Trierarch that promises to protect him. Of the kisses burning his lips, playful and challenging and setting fire ablaze under his skin, and then soft and promising, and so gentle he thought it could be love. His ears rang like drums pounding in his skull, one minute they were seductive whispers and playful teasing that challenged him to play, the sweet promises so earnest and hopeful they made him weep. And those bi-colored eyes that had so many conflicting and contradicting expressions and emotions, it made him all the more determined to see what was behind the masks. See the real face. But all he saw was that single soulful expression that barely acknowledged him with a glance.

He'd been a fool.

A fool who'd fallen for another mask. A fool who believed the silver-tongued promises of a diplomat.

And it tore his heart to pieces.

* * *

This one was fun to write (would've been done faster but the book I needed was IMPOSSIBLE to find! Seriously, i ended up downloading one of those ereader apps and doing a temp trial that I was smart enough to cancel and wouldn't you know it, next day after work i found out the book came in at the library (falls over) UGH!

But after that it was fun: hard part was keeping Yugi and Timaeus' pov balanced, but I think i handled it pretty well ^^

Little historical note: Originally, I was gonna have Yugi's official Title be consort since wife sounded more definite and marriage related (hence the term "to wife" meaning to marry" but my beta suggested consort since Yugi's a boy. I agreed. Consort, traditionally, means wife, or the wife of someone in a position of power. However, as a Title, it usually means that the spouse doesn't have any such political power, for example Queen Consort would be the King's Wife, but she would have no real power in politics, likewise Prince Consort, was the husband of the Queen and would likewise have no political power, unless appointed by the Queen (this does not mean they did not possess a great deal of influence however). In this case, Consort simply means Yugi will be the equivalent of a wife and have all the responsibilities of a Governor's wife (Governor was an actual position and title in several countries around the world at that time, and depending on the power of central government acted as rulers in their own right.

The King of Atlantis, however, being the one to decide the heirs to the State, I made up, but it was loosely based on an ancient Roman custom known as the Five noble Emperors where instead of using hereditary as a prerequisite, the Emperor adopt an heir from a pool of elderly boys and nobles who he felt had the best qualities of a King and raise him in the art of statecraft) In Atlantis, it works the same way. So since Timaeus doesn't need an heir of his own to rule Locri, the fact he and Yugi can't naturally have children is not an issue. Also, adoption was a very common practice in both Ancient Egypt and much of of the Ancient world. Unlike the Hittie Empire and Babalyon that required strict pedigrees to rule, the Ancient Egyptians, and much of Greece were actually very lenient with class and rank in terms of marriage. Several Per-a'ah's took commoners or even slaves as wives, and many even became Great Royal Wives if the Per-a'ah had no sisters or simply chose not to marry one of them, one such story is of Rhodepis, who was a greek slave that the Per-a'ah Amanisis married, which is believed to be the origin of cinderella (I'm NOT kidding! look it up!) As such, adoption, especially if the Wife couldn't have children was considered a very noble thing to do and even families that did have their own children would adopt orphans as servants or apprentices. Just something I wanted to bring up since kids and heirs was THE THING back then.

Plus, we get a little more background on Timaeus ;)

Hope you enjoyed it! I also hope with the holidays dwindling down and school out you can all take a break and relax and enjoy ^^

_**Next Time:**__ In the aftermath of Yugi's reaction, The Per-a'ah and Royal wife have a _serious_ discussion about Timaeus' offer and plans are made to undo Menkheperre and Maatkare's scheming once and for all!_


	25. Chapter XXV: Preperations

First Update of the new year! I Thought of posting it December 31st but decided to wait...so Here's your nice weekend gift ^^ The new year and we're 25 chaps in! Woohoo!

ALSO: STARTING NEXT WEEK UPDATES WILL BE WEDNESDAY NIGHT/THURSDAY MORNING (Friday at the latest depending on my and Val's work schedules) That way everyone who has to wait to read the chap can enjoy it!

Now...the aftermath of Yugi's reaction!

Disclaimer: I own nothing!

As always, read, review, critique, comment, ask questions, rant and just go nuts!

* * *

_Chapter XXV: Preparations_

"Yugi, wait!" Mut spun to chase him, but Pas grabbed her arm and she stopped.

"Let him go, Mut. We need to discuss this first," he mollified. "You know Yugi, approaching him without a definite decision could make this whole situation worse for him."

He turned to the Atlantian King and Knight. Dartz responded with a nod. Timaeus' stared at the door where Yugi had run. He didn't move until he felt the King's hand on his shoulder. Both of them stepped away, giving the Per-a'ah and his wife their space.

Mut freed her arm, but her voice was absent of anger. "You saw his face. Timaeus is a good man, but Yugi—"

"He is right, Mut," Pas cut her off, but his words were soft and in no way sharp. "I love Yugi, just as fiercely as you do, but he cannot stay in Djanet, and I will walk willing into Ammut's belly before I see him returned to Waset. The only way to protect him now, is to get him out of Kemet. This is the best way. You and he have talked about it have you not? Yugi is young but he is not a child, it is time he was married. It's very clear Timaeus cares for him, and though I know he is upset now, I know Yugi cares for him. It is a good match."

"Indeed, it is," Mut agreed. "But Yugi is stubborn. He had been since he was a child. Even if all this is done for his benefit and the union promises to be a happy one, he'll deny any such feelings simply out of pride. Even if this works, what of Menkheperre and Maatkare? You can't expect them to surrender their loyalty simply because Yugi is lost to them?"

Pas smiled at her. "I've already planned a solution to that. Menkheperre doesn't covet power: he simply fears his own being overlooked. I have no desire to create further strife between our lands or our family. It is time for both to have peace." There was a regal passion to the words that even Mut had not seen in him before. It was both, tired and relieved, determined and impassioned as well as relaxed and finished.

"What will you tell him?" she asked him, simply. She didn't know what else to say.

Pas met her eyes. His mile was cunning and content. "He will remain as Waset's head as First Prophet of Amun, so long as he reigns with the family."

"Pas, you know he will never answer to you."

"No, not me," he took her hands in his own, "To you."

Mut stumbled back. "Me?" The word was a breath. Her mouth remained open but no sound came out,

"Yes," Pas nodded. "He will be First Prophet of Amun at Waset, but you will be Second Prophet of Amun at Djanet. It is me he has always hated. You, he has always adored and any dislike was simply the need to spite me. He will listen to you."

For a full moment Mut couldn't speak. The weight of his words fell on her shoulders like a mantle of bones, but it was surprisingly light. She composed herself and asked. "And our sister?" She couldn't recall when she had last called Maatkare that.

Pas smiled at the title. "She will remain as God's Wife of Amun, but the title of Divine Adoratrice will be given to her successor who will in turn be one of her nieces. Whether that girl is our daughter or Menkhperre's will be decided in turn when the future comes."

Mut's face was that of a queen, regal and dignified and scrutinizing all possible flaws without even the appearance of weakness or concern. "You're certain they will agree to this?"

It was not a question, but Pas answered it anyway. "They will have no choice. We will draw up the treaties and sign the documents with all our names in the House when we announce Kemet's allying itself with Atlantis. We will celebrate both with Timaeus and Yugi's wedding."

She thought it over. All but the wedding satisfied her. The girl in her, the one who had once been younger than Yugi was now, sympathized with her youngest siblings feelings of betrayal and his desire to rile against it, but the woman in her, the one who'd inherited a mother's wisdom and knowledge, knew the traits needed for a good husband and a loving marriage. Such affairs were commonly arranged and always by mothers. Having held their children to their breasts at birth, reared them as they grew, and scolded them when they misbehaved, it was they that knew them well beyond their inexperience and youth knew themselves. How could they _not_ offer their wisdom and experience in such an important and life-changing decision?

She may not have been Yugi's mother, but it was she who caught him when Sekhmet's cult of midwives surrounded her father's second wife and demanded her assistance. It was she, who held him as an infant when Isetemkheb had been called away, she who chased him through the gardens as a toddler, and snapped at him when he behaved badly: Isetemkheb trusted no one else. She had not given birth to him but he was as close to being her first child as if she had.

"We'll need to time to organize it, write the documents and plan the wedding, and we'll need time for it to…" she paused, "Leek to the public. Let the rumors circulate. By the time of the ceremony comes the courtship, betrothal and wedding will be as good as fact."

"Agreed," Pas said. "If all goes well it'll be within a ten-day. Our war will be over, our country will have peace, and Yugi will be safely married to a handsome husband out of Kemet."

"Married, yes," Mut said with a chuckle. "As for safely, well that remains to be said." He knew it was not _Yugi's _safety she meant. He offered an open palm and she accepted.

They turned to the King of Atlantis and the Knight who proposed the plot to explain their plan.

X X X

Only when they were alone did the King expel a heavy sigh of remorse. "When I warned you that our objective was to protect out alliance this is not what I had in mind," he said with a hint of bitterness.

"Perhaps not," Timaeus said coolly. "But it is done and I do not regret it." He spun to his King and his eyes softened. "I know you well, My Lord. And I am confident enough that had we agreed to send him back with the Priests in exile, you would never be the same and neither would I."

The King's eyes spoke what his words could not.

"I promised to protect our alliance and I will do it with honor."

"Always with honor," Dartz shook his head with the smallest of smiles. "You truly embody your namesake." His fingers wove through his forelock, and then he controlled himself. "But you are right. I do prefer our alliance come without such a sacrifice," his eyes narrowed. "But I also know _you_ well enough that you would never marry for politics. You made _that_ clear many times."

There was a visible flinch in Timaeus brow. He made no effort to feign ignorance, "No, that wasn't why. I would never have asked if it was."

"You fancy him," Dartz said matter-of-factly. "You've fancied him since that first day on _the Eye_." Timaeus shot up with wide eyes. He opened his mouth but Dartz raised a hand and his protests silenced. "There's no need. I am no longer young, but experience has taught me to recognize the signs. I also know you are not the saucy lad you were when you first came to Atlantis, but your heart has always been free and your affairs short." He scrutinized with a paternal chide. "So what makes this child so different?"

"He's hardly a child," Timaeus challenged, but Dartz was unamused. Timaeus exhaled through his nose. "I want to protect him," was all he said. He looked away with a worldly frown. "I can't explain it. Everything about him tempts me, but it's more than that. I always feel compelled to stay by his side, but not just to keep him safe but to see him smile."

Dartz listened intently. "How long have you felt this way?"

"Perhaps…" Timaeus pondered. "Since the day he attacked me in Mut's shrine. Everything about him intrigued me: his beauty, his spirit, his wildness. When we first spoke on the ship, I wanted to protect him, but the spitfire wouldn't let me, but that only intrigued me more. I wanted him to trust me and I wanted to know more about him beyond the fire. What I found only intrigues me more."

He heard the King give a frustrated sigh, and thought he heard a muffled curse on his breath, but when he looked up he smiled. "I see, and you're certain it was not guilt that compelled you? A penance of some sort?"

Timaeus shook his head. "I thought it might be, but I realized long ago it wasn't," As he spoke the words grew more grave and more passionate. "I want him by my side; I want to _be_ by his side. Even if he hates me now, if I can make him smile even once more, that's all I care for."

He thought he heard the King utter another curse, but when he looked up again he was smiling. "I see." He nodded. "Good, I'd be disappointed if it was anything less."

Timaeus caught the tint of sharpness in his voice. "Are you angry that I didn't choose her?"

Dartz face became indifferent. He closed his eyes only once. "No, I had hoped in time your heart would change, but I reconciled myself with the fact that it never would. Can you blame me for hoping? I love her, and you are like a son to me. I wanted you both to be happy."

"I only ever wanted happiness for her too," Timaeus admitted with a regretful frown. "I do love her—"

"But not the way she wanted you to," Dartz cut him off. "Not the way she loved you. "

Timaeus shook his head. The King only gave an acknowledging nod. "It would've driven a wedge between you," he said. "You would've been a good husband to her. I know that well, but that fact would always remain. She did not think it would but I did. I've seen it often. It would've broken her heart every day to know how much she loved and seeing you, through no fault of your own nor hers, simply could not. It would have brought her only misery."

Timaeus stared at him in surprise. The King caught his gaze and chuckled. "Oh wipe away that face, lad. I was young and foolish once. Now I am old, and experience has brought me wisdom. I love her well, and I love you too, but I knew the risks had I proposed a betrothal. Why do you think I never did?"

"Because you would never disinherit her?" Timaeus said, but it lacked the confidence the argument once had. "Not when she'd make a spectacular Queen and my heart belongs to Locri."

"Perhaps. Perhaps not. I still think you would've made a wonderful heir," the King praised then sighed again. "But alas, that is the curse of Lord and Kings I suppose. Our hearts forever belong to the lands we rule," Then he smirked. "But," he said mischievously. "Our _souls_ they say, if we are patient and wise, belong not to our lands or fortunes, but to our _wives_."

Timaeus sucked in a breath and was about to ask him what he meant, but The Per-a'ah and Great Wife turned to them, and before he could speak, they began to propose their plan.

"You're certain it's wise to keep the priest in such a position of power?" Dartz questioned, respectfully.

Pas met his friend's concern with a knowing but confident smile. "He will answer to Mut. I will head the State and she will head the House as his equal. There will be balance between them and hopefully our next generation will bring a stable peace."

Dartz nodded but said nothing.

"On to the second matter," Pas said flatly and spun to Timaeus. His face was a hard, neutral mask that betrayed no emotion. "You are serious in your proposal to my brother."

Timaeus did not flinch. It was not a question.

Then the Per-a'ah asked "How is marriage conducted in your culture, Lord Timaeus?"

Timaeus looked puzzled then pondered his answer. As a country devoted to the life, marriage and triumph of its Goddess from simple, sheltered maid, to a champion queen of a forgotten land and beloved of its King, many of Locri's customs and traditions regarding matrimony were deprived in spirit as well as ceremony from the exact myths. It would take too long to explain it all in details.

So he said simply. "In the shortest explanation, the two families of the bride and bridegroom create and sign a marriage contract negotiating the dowries and inheritance of both parties. The groom then physically spirits the bride away from her home and literally carries her to the house they will be sharing together. A celebratory feast is held where the groom bestows his bride with gifts to symbolize his undying love and loyalty. After such ceremonies are concluded, the marriage is consummated. A more festive celebration and secondary marriage ceremony is done six months later in the Temple of the Goddess, mimicking her reunion with her husband and symbolizing the couple's success in overcoming the first hurdles of marriage."

Pas nodded. "Is there a civil ceremony? Any details where the documents are signed?"

Timaeus shook his head. "It varies on class and wealth. A common couple will have the documents signed in the home of the bride and the groom simply carries her through town. A wealthier groom might use a chariot. The only true ceremony is the second marriage held in the Temple of the Goddess, the High Priestess conducts the union, and the two renew their vows and then consummate their marriage a second time in the temple."

Pas nodded. "Kemet has similar customs, marriage occurring when two parties set up a home together, marriage contracts are drawn depending on class and a celebration follows. However, this will be a royal affair and it will need to be public. For Yugi's sake."

"Perhaps a compromise," Mut stepped forward with a feline grin. "We will draw up the contracts and have it signed in the House of Amun at dusk. Yugi will be brought in all his formal attire and Pas will sign the contract in his place. The celebration will be held at night. We will conclude negotiations first at noon, have Menkheperre and Maatkare act as witnesses and at dawn they will return to the temple, and you will bring Yugi to Atlantis. Then in six months' time, we will sail to your city for the secondary ceremony. We will celebrate in both fashions and keep to the traditions of both countries a ceremony to reflect the marriage and the alliance."

Dartz perked up immediately. "Excellent, Great Lady." He nearly clapped with glee. "Your wisdom of diplomacy knows no bound."

Mut smirked. "Marriage _is_ women's expertise," she bragged.

"Unfortunately," it was Timaeus who spoke. "There _is _still the issue of _convincing_ the bride." Timaeus chose his words carefully and his fingers wove into his bangs. "He's made it clear he doubts my noble intentions, or perhaps despises the idea because of them. I cannot fault him for either."

Before he could say anything else, the Royal Wife swooped like a bird diving though hair and clapped his hands in hers. The action surprised him but no more than the tender confidence in her eyes. "Do not fret, my friend. I have spoken to my brother, and I know he cares for you, and I can see clearly you care for him." Even Timaeus' strict training could not stop the pale pink dusting his cheeks.

Mut smiled, and then frowned. "But right now, he's angry as well as frightened. Yugi covets freedom and love. If he sees this marriage the way a bird sees a cage then he will rile against it, but if he sees it as a chance to have an adventure, to see the world and explore new things, to have power and duties in his own right, then he will see what we have done, we have not done solely for his safety but for his happiness as well."

Her words were gentle, like twinkling bells and flooded Timaeus with a relief he had not felt since the first time he and Yugi spoke on common ground. He appreciated her kindness, but also understood the warning in them as well. His little gem had been caged and forced his whole life. Timaeus was someone he had confided in, and now most likely believed it a rouse, and his guardian simply another who'd forced themselves into Yugi's life to make demands of him. He would have to re-earn Yugi's acceptance and his trust. Just as Yugi would have to learn his many masks and create his own, to listen and learn, and most of all to trust his husband and understand his secrets. It would be difficult, he'd known that, but not impossible. He'd seen it in Yugi's eyes: the attraction, the longing, the thirst for adventure as well as passion.

It was still there. He just had to show Yugi that.

"My lady, Perhaps if I spoke to him—" Timaeus offered but Mut dismissed him with a wave of her hand.

"No, I will speak to him," She said solemn but determined. "I am his sister. He will listen to me." she smiled at him. "I trust you, Lord Timaeus, I know you care for him, but Yugi is young and fragile. He does not give his trust easy and is even less with his heart. He'll need a gentle awakening."

Timaeus grinned. "You have my word, my Lady."

* * *

This chapter was Timaeus' focused so next chap will be Yugi. I had a lot of fun with Pas and Mut this chapter too! I love how she is just so natural to write! The scene with Timaeus and Dartz was actually and addition that I felt needed to be added but since I couldnt fit it into the coming chap, I decided it was best here. Hope it gives come insight to Timaeus' feelings for Yugi and Dartz about the relationship...especially if you recall their earlier conversation on the boat ;)

HISTORICAL NOTE: Despite Ancient Egypt's fascination with religion in all aspects of its life, marriage is the one that it doesn't play a role at all. Marriage was simply when two parties set up a home or moved in together, and a marriage contract was signed to negotiate the inheritance, ownership and properties of both in case of divorce (and by that logic, the Ancient Egyptians seemed to have invented modern relationships: including moving in together and the pre-nup)

Marriages WERE often arranged BUT unique to Egypt it was the mother who had the primary role in deciding who married who and usually the two parties would have a female go-between when they courted, and the man would use a female go-between to ask the mother for permission. Fathers were involved of course, but primarily it was mothers, sisters and aunts who negotiated marriage contracts and decided spouces. Now, anyone whi knows me knows i'm a FIRM believer in true love and love in marriages and that arranged marriages ONLY work if love is a factor, and though i STILL believe that my research has given me a lot more objective insight into the subject. I mean kids are young and stupid (and marriage age in those days was usually between 14 and 15 for girls and 17-19 for boys (so they could have a trade) and even NOW a days our first loves are hardly our first and we STILL look to our friends, family and parents when we choose our spouces, so it honestly makes sense that parents and family, particularly mothers and aunts, who raised you, knows your personality (better than you know yourself) and has experience and knowledge of the subject would offer their wisdom and guidance in something as important and permanent as choosing a spouse. Though divorce was easy in Egypt it wasn't common, and love poetry between couples shows that love was a huge factor and marriage so the theory is why parents selected betrothals by the time the two were actually married, both parties would've courted and eventually fallen in love...In this case, since Yugi's parents are dead Mut is the go-between in the terms of Yugi's marriage, so its HER Timaeus needs approval from.

I did research on royal marriages as well, and there isn't much of a different from common marriages other than the bride being brought to the palace and being presented to the people and the marriage contract possible being signed in the Temple of the Gods (which were usually conjoined with palaces anyway) so basically the same ritual just a little fancier.

As always, comment, critique, review, ask questions, rant and go nuts!

_**Next Time: **__Yugi enters self-imposed isolation. Mut comes to offer her wisdom. And the cold hard facts of marriage make Yugi question everything he knows._


	26. Chapter XXVI: Persuasion

First update of the new schedule! YAY So from now on updates are gonna be Wednesday night/Thursday morning to better fit everyone's schedule ^^ Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Dedications: to my wonderful reviewers who stayed with me and put up with my long absences ^^

As always read, review, comment, critique, ask questions and go nuts! Now the moment you've all been waiting for! Yugi's reaction!

* * *

_Chapter XXVI: Persuasion _

Yugi ran until he was exhausted. Too exhausted even to cry. He robotically found his room and collapsed in one of the chairs. He didn't bother with the bed or the blankets. Food had been left on the table: a combination of fresh, juicy pomegranates, dates glazed with sweet-smelling honey, and two separate plates of Nile carp lathered in butter and seasoned with his favorite combination of spices. The scent of them filled his nostrils and adrenaline forced him up. He scowled at the meal and enraged with a sudden strength, scattered it and across the floor with a single swipe of his arm. The table crashed, chair fell over and plates landed in thick, clay pieces.

His strength drained, he dragged himself to the coach and collapsed, sobbing in an expensive pillow.

The servants, wisely, left him alone.

X X X

His sleep had been short and uneasy. He'd awoken, not even an hour later to footsteps crossing the threshold to his private chambers. He pushed his face deeper into the pillow "Go away!" He commanded in a scratchy, hissing voice rough from screaming and crying, "I don't want to see anyone! Least of all you!"

The answer was a giggle like a string of bells. "Not even me, habibi?"

He sat up and spun to her and watched as Mut approached him carefully. She sat on the end of the coach, her arms opened but never once moving to embrace him. He threw himself into her arms and let her warm arms encircle his back. His cheeks were wet and raw with tears, his eyes puffy and red from crying, his limbs felt heavy and weak, but in Mut's arms he found sanctuary.

"Yugi?" she said softly, almost apologetically. Yugi pulled away and found her eyes clouded with worry and her pretty mouth was a small frown.

Dread seeped into his heart and it sank into his stomach. "No…"his voice was a broken whisper and he backed away from her. "No…Mut…you can't be…please, tell me you aren't considering this?" He pleaded desperately. "Please…" _Don't make me marry him._

She closed her eyes and breathed. Her mouth set in a small frown. His heart sank further. When she spoke, her voice was even and steep. "I approve of his proposal. He'll make a fine husband." She said with conclusion.

Yugi stumbled backwards and backed away from her. "You…approve?" He gasped, horrified. "We're speaking of marriage, Mut, _my_ marriage to…" He couldn't finish the sentence. Couldn't say his name. Like the silence somehow made it less real.

"Yes," Mut spoke, her voice scolding. "It is not your responsibility to negotiate your own marriage. It is the duty of mothers and sisters and aunts, and for fathers to approve. Kin, who know you well, and know what you need in a husband. It _is_ time you were married, habibi," she said gently with her voice steady. "You are young, Yugi. You are upset and angry now, but I also know you have thought of this before. We've spoke often of it, and I remember it well." Her tone was even and patient. "Look me in the eye and tell me you haven't thought of it?"

He wanted to protest it. He opened his mouth to do so, but the sharpness in her eyes made his shoulders shake and the words died in his throat. The worst part was, he _had_ thought of it. Had he not imagined it just that morning? Imagined the House of Amun decked in all its finery, his father's statue shining in its resplendent prime? His sister reading the chants honoring Mut and Amun, and Pas drawing up the contract with King Dartz as a witness?

Timaeus at the end of the chapel waiting for him…and the two of them together pressing their signatures permanently into the stone. Hadn't he imagined them on the helm of that magnificent ship, Kemet at their backs and the vast open sea before them? All those possibilities and hopeful dreams?

His eyes lowered and he turned his head, his mouth was set in a frown but he made no effort to verbally protest. He collapsed in a chair. His heavy head flopped into his hands with the tips of his fingers massaging his temples. "I can't do this, Mut," he said shakily. "I can't."

Mut stood and placed her warm hands on the backs of his shoulders. He made no effort to stop her.

"Nothing would please me more to see you wedded to a kind man who would love and honor you well and make you happy." Her words were soft but her eyes were sharp. "He's very fond of you, Yugi, I've seen it in his eyes," She paused then added with a firm smile. "I know you liked him. You like him still. I see it growing every day. Don't even try and deny it."

"But, I am _not_ a prize." Yugi spun to her and snapped. So quick and fierce, that Mut whirled back in surprise. Yugi made no effort to apologize. "I'm not some helpless child he needs to shelter and protect, and I'm not some living treaty he can claim and barter and I'm not some glittering chit he can spoil and please with pretty things and kisses." He stopped himself and calmed his mind.

"Well," Mut said with a sly chuckle. Her words were sweet. "If you like him well enough to kiss him then you like him well enough to marry him."

Yugi gawked at her: eyes wide with shock.

"Tis, no secret," Mut said with a chuckle. Her smile curled smooth and catlike.

He expelled a heavy sigh and looked away unable to face her. "What you want…what you all want isn't a marriage. It's a business arrangement."

"I don't understand," Mut sat down, bewildered.

Yugi accepted her hands on his shrugged shoulders. "I'll solidify our precious treaty with Atlantis, Pas will rule the Delta and you'll rule the desert by ruling Menkheperre and in exchange Timaeus will whisk me away to Locri. I will become his consort and perform my duty of running his household without otherwise interfering in his life and he will give me his titles and pay for my gowns,"

"And make love to you," Mut said with a sly smile. He knew she meant it as a joke but not that the idea was in his head… "I _know _you've thought of that."

Unable to voice his shame, he bowed his burning face and nodded. It mortified him to admit it. Oh Ra, making love with Timaeus? How often had he thought about _that_? Wondered what it would be like? He was certainly handsome. He had the traits Yugi had wanted in a lover. Just the memory of his searing kisses left his face burning. This morning the idea had thrilled him but now…it terrified him.

Yugi could _never _resist him. How often had those searing kissed left him burning and wanting more? How often had Timaeus' blunt teasing and honest compliments set a fire under his skin? How easily had the Trierarch's brutal teasing baited him into a challenge? How blindly had he fallen for the man's every trap? Timaeus was a master of seduction: he was charming and he wielded it with skillful ease and deadly sharpness of his sword. But he was chivalrous too: never had he forced Yugi to do anything he hasn't wanted to. He was kind too. And patient. And he was honest: secretive and honest.

And protective…if he was being honest. His earliest memory of the man was the green shadow who rescued him in Mut's temple. Then his memories of their journey returned and he found himself categorizing them between the Fierce Knight who promised him protection and declared himself Yugi's Guardian when they returned to Kemet, and the proud and playful rouge that teased and flirted with him openly as long as Yugi played along. That was all it was, he realized, with a heavy weight of dread in his heart: protection and seduction. Fondness, born of duty and lust. The more he thought of it, the more he lifted the dreamy-eyed veil of his memories, the heavier his heart felt.

That wasn't what he wanted. That wasn't love. "I don't want that kind of marriage."

"I don't understand?" Mut asked, deep with concern.

"That's all our relationship is: fondness. It isn't love that makes him want to marry me, its duty…duty and lust. I don't want a marriage like that," he admitted voice rising with breaking volume.

"It doesn't have to be, Yugi," Mut mollified. "We have all had repercussions about facing betrothal. I did."

Yugi started at her shocked.

"Yes, little one I did. We both feared our love was nothing more than fondness. We were afraid to think anything else. Betrothal gave us the freedom to try."

"But Pas _chose_ you," Yugi protested. "He had many sisters but it was _you_ he chose."

"It was duty and fondness that made him chose me, not love," Mut admitted. "It may be duty that compelled Timaeus to propose, but I trust your 'fondness' enough that had it happened any other way, you would have no objections." The steadiness in her voice returned. Her smile was that of a scolding mother. "Marriage is a duty, Yugi, not a right. We do not marry for pleasure, but for quality to wed is a burden; to bear children is a burden, to hold power over any sphere of influence is a burden. The _duty_ of marriage is to _ease_ that burden."

She slid across the couch closer to him. Her smile was fierce with delight, even if he only gave her a glance "That does not mean we cannot bring pleasure into our marriages. Men need to appear strong for their houses. They keep their hearts secret rather than admit to another holding power over them. When they are alone with us, it is the only time their hearts are open._ We _are their secret keepers. It is not the wedding that brings love Yugi, it is the wedding _night._ They give us love, and we give them trust. Love is not just a show for the people; it is the secret to the most successful marriages."

He pondered her words but his mouth remained a firm line. Trust and Love. Hadn't that been what he'd wanted? Hadn't he'd prayed for that that morning the day his life changed, and again when he asked Sekhmet for a savior and sent him his emerald shadow as a protector… but that was a mask drawn from anger and betrayal. He categorized them all in his head: his fierce captor who saved him from flinging himself over the side of _The Eye_, the Trierarch who commanded his ship and crew with merciless honor, the Knight who promised him protection before his King gave the order, the Trickster who'd kissed him in front of his siblings and their council and called him fiancé, and the one who teased him mercilessly and set his blood ablaze with searing kisses. But what of the man who'd listened to his history and held him as he cried? And what of the one who asked him about his dreams and kissed him tenderly at Mut's Sacred Pool?

He'd never organized their past encounters before, but flooded by the chaotic memories, it hit him, suddenly, how little he knew of Timaeus and how much of him of what he did was an invention. Timaeus was a man of masks and rumors and buried secrets. Secrets he would not share, not even with Yugi. How many secrets had he entrusted to Timaeus in the short time they'd known each other? If he was to marry a man like that, could he trust him? How could he, when he didn't know who was the man and who was the mask?

At his silence, Mut sighed and smiled again. "You are fortunate to have a man who already pleases you, do not throw the happiness you could have with him away simply out of pride, habibi."

He stood quickly, his form rigid and his eyes sharp. "I am so tired of everyone telling me how 'fortunate' I am to have my decisions made for me! Telling me they know what will make me happy! Menkheperre and Maatkare said it. Timaeus said it," He hisses, his fingers writhing, "And now _you _are saying it? Does my own happiness truly matter so little to you!"

"Of course it doesn't," Mut said quick and sharp. "The only thing we want is to see you happy."

Yugi rolled his eyes saying nothing.

"It is the truth, whether you believe it to be or not," she rose suddenly and took graceful steps towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Yugi blinked in surprise.

"I've said my share. Whatever happens next is for you to decide. I will leave you to rest now. Tomorrow, when your head is clear, think it over again." She stopped in the doorway. With a heavy sigh she turned to him and said with regal gentleness "I suggest you get yourself used to the idea." She left without another word.

Enraged and still writhing, Yugi flung himself onto his bed and screamed into his pillows.

* * *

Originally, this chapter and last chapter were going to be one chapter, but I decided to split them to keep the focus between the two. I'm very interested too see all of your responses now that you got both sides. Yugi's gone to full-brat mode, Timaeus is trying to hold it together, and none of this is how either of them wanted things to go, and everyone else is doing the heavy lifting. Bet none of you saw this coming!

1) Again, remember we CANNOT look at arranged marriages in the past with modern eyes (the idea of people choosing their own marriage partners based purely on love is really a modern invention, and by modern i mean the 60s onward) granted it DID happen annd often parties DID have choice and chose their partners, but family approval, was CRUCIAL and depending on the culture, in ancient times parents negotiated or approved of wedded unions, but then again since people married in their early to mid teens in those days and as well all know teen marriages and first loves HARDLY last, how could parents NOT offer their wisdom and judgement in making such an important decision, and at the end of the day ALL parents in ancient times simple want their children to have a happy life and a good marriage.

2) The involvement of woman in marriages depending on culture, while it was always fathers who had to APPROVE of the union and set the date, it was woman who chose and recommended the suitors and chaperoned events in the ancient world. Many times, queens, concubines, mothers, older sisters, aunts, all of them would offer their feedback to a girl of age on what she'd want to look for in a spouse. All dad had to do was give away the bride...not much has changed in that regard.

3) Fondness and duty were pretty much the pre-recs for marriage. Marriages was meant to be a LASTING union, not like today where one-fight and couples divorce. Their ideal was rather than the honey-moon phase to the hot and steamy period to the best friend stage wen it cools down, they wanted the Best friend (someone you love spending all your time with) going in and then the hot and steamy phase intermingled as you went: so marriage was basically going into the marriage you wanted fondness, love was meant to happen during the wedding night and then continually grow from there. Not so much a "learn to love" deal but rather a "emotion that continue to grow" kind of thing.

4) Pinedjam I had nine children four of which (including Mutnejdmet and Maatkare) were girls. Mutnedjmet was the oldest daughter and Psuennes I was the oldest son but it is unknown what the order or the age difference between them is since record of their birth dates are kind of scattered.

Hope that offers some clarity.

_**Next Time: **__The oblivious citizens prepare for a Royal Wedding. Meanwhile, Yugi has gone into isolation, Timaeus hopes to smooth things over, and the Royals have a plan for a happy ending neither the bride nor the groom is gonna like._


	27. Chapter XXVII: Ceremony

First Update on the New day...granted its a bit late ^^'

Prepare to be...well...let's just say I earned my Title ;)

As always dedicated to the fans! Especially the reviewers for always telling me straight up what works what works and what makes them wanna scream!

Disclaimer: I won nothing, and historical figures are fictional representations of themselves and in no way are meant to relate to their reallife counter parts (see my historical notes for more)

As always, read, review, critique, comment, ask questions, rant, post theories ad go nuts!

* * *

_Chapter XXVII: Ceremony_

Mut did not come to visit him again the next morning. Nor the morning after that. Yugi just stayed in his room and mostly slept. His sleep had been mercifully peaceful. The shock and stress of those few hours had left his mind numb and his body week. So he slept until it all felt like nothing but a distant shadow in his memory.

On the third morning, Mut came again. Her entrance was soft and barely breached the fog of his senses. He pulled his head free from the mess of pillows to the sound of something clicking on the table, and the smell of pomegranates.

He entered the room in a mess. His hair in tangles, his shoulders set in a stubborn shrug and the previous day's shenti creased with sleep. He didn't bother changing and he didn't look at her while he devoured the food.

She didn't speak until his belly was full and he was grateful she didn't.

"We've settled the negotiations," she said at last, swiftly and formally and with none of her tenderness. "They will conclude publicly within the next tenday. The Atlantians will return home the following morning."

_So soon_. He was tempted to ask, but decided against it. He wouldn't let her trap him.

"The King cannot stay away from his country any longer," she explained anyway. "And the Knights must return to their duty as Generals." She waited for a reaction from him. When none came she added. "A ruler can't afford to be away from his lands longer than a month, the return journey alone will take nearly a tenday."

Still Yugi said nothing.

"Haven't you always wanted to see the ocean?" she asked with a kind smile. The seeds lodged in Yugi's throat and he coughed several times to clear his throat.

"Not enough to get married," Yugi grumbled and shoved the plate away and left to change.

"I hope you don't expect to hide here until they leave, Ujalah," she said with a hint of disappointment. There was no response. She gave a heavy sigh. "Are you going to dislike me now as well?"

Yugi froze and dropped his clothes. The hurt in her voice filled him with shame. He bowed his head, too ashamed to face her. "I could never dislike you, Mut." His shoulder shook and his voice was cracking. "It's the whole situation I dislike," The words were muffled and chocked. He made no effort to hide his tears. "I hate being forced into this…it doesn't matter who it's too or whatever the reason behind it…I hate being forced into this."

He felt her hands on his shoulders and her warm hugged him from behind. Her steps so gentle and phantasm he hadn't heard her move. "But it doesn't _have_ to be," she assured him, tightening the embrace. "Do you love him?"

"I…" he didn't want to answer, but found he couldn't lie to her. "I…thought…maybe I did." His fingers wove into her arms and he hugged her back. "Maybe I still do…"

"Then that's more than enough," Mut mollified, but Yugi shook his head.

"It'll never be enough, Mut." He said stubborn. "I don't a marriage full of secrets and conveniences. "

Mut released him with a heavy sigh. "No one goes to their marriage bed without their secrets or their conveniences. The goal is to become worthy of those secrets." She trailed off as she approached the door. She pulled something from outside and set it down near the lion-bodied table by the door and left without another word.

He didn't watch her leave. His gaze fell lazily on the object she left behind. He approached it with a mixture of curiosity and apprehension. It smelt rich and earthy, with a faint chalky stench. It was small and medium-sized and rectangular-shaped with a flat, removable top on four tall legs. A box? He dropped to his knees to examine it. Tentative fingers ran along the smoothed violet faience panels. Clasps of gold bordered the panel, but the sanded smoothness confirmed the box was a single, carved slab. The long sides bore ornamentation of faience river lotus in curling gold vines flanking either side of a gold cartouche. His name and the blossoms, the color in his beloved Egyptian blue. The lid was a single violet circle with a scaled blue lotus but its heart was an amethyst faience knob.

Without thinking, Yugi lifted it. Inside the beautiful treasure, a single piece of papyrus sat peacefully on the polished cedar. It uncurled in his hand, wanting to be read. The thick Coptic letters read: _Because things should be memorable in some way, and should have a place to keep them._

The note slipped from his shaking fingers and back into, what he now realized was a hope chest. A dowry box crafted specifically to him. Each carving memorable, every detail carefully chosen and catered just for him. It was a wedding gift, and it wasn't from Mut.

X X X

Timaeus wrung his fingers as he paced.

With the tenday halfway gone and the stele freshly carved, the citizens had spread the announcement faster than any Royal Decree. Temple servants prepared the rituals and polished the House with furious haste. Contracts were quickly drawn and negotiated. Treaties were being rewritten and signed. All important documents were copied and etched into more permanent stone with papyrus copies for the ceremonies. Cargo holds were quickly stocked with donated crates of smoked meats and barrels of water. Citizens flocked the temples with offerings and hymns, and prayed to anamorphic totems of local deities: the disturbing rumors quickly forgotten in the excitement and splendor of preparing for a Royal Wedding, even if it was only a night. Only a week ago they'd scoffed and sneered at their young prince ready to curse him and brand him a traitor. Now that the "truth" was known they swallowed their shame, bowed their heads in apology to their gods and clamored to be part of the splendor.

It never failed to disturb him: how quickly the public's love could turn to hate and then back again like it was all some silly children's game. Then again, their impression was that the jealous younger prince had plotted to overthrow their beloved Per-a'ah and enlisted the House of Amun and himself to do it. It spoke of their love in a way, that they would hate any who sought to remove him. And perhaps the revelation that it was not betrayal but an engagement that fostered such secret affairs between him and one who held such power in another country appealed to their love both romantically and loyalty than believing that the House of Amun would even commit such treachery.

Timaeus shook his head in disgust. An angry fist slammed against the bell-shaped pillars. His knuckles came away bruised and bloody, and the other rubbed his face.

It wasn't how he wanted his wedding ceremony to be. It wasn't the smiling ceremony promising a happy union between not only two countries but two lost kindred spirits. It wasn't how he imagined he and Yugi sailing around the world before giving him the grand tour of Locri he promised. He could live without the courtship, the formal betrothal, the maids and servants and happy family in attendance, only the bride's absence would be what really mattered.

Yugi had taken up to hiding in the Sacred Pool behind the Per-a'ah's chambers the rest of the tenday. Timaeus continued to bring him meals but his former charge, if he was ever in the room, refused to acknowledge him. Though he had little doubt the gem knew who it was that visited when he left with the clicking of metal shoes. But Yugi did not call out to him and neither did Timaeus. The bride remained determined not to take part in his own act.

The solution had been his King's idea, ironically enough, if the Great Lady of Two Lands was unable to mollify the young prince. It was quiet common among their foreign cousins when travel interfered with Royal marriages or treaties required a spare sibling to fill the role of the absent or deceased. It made Timaeus sick to think of it.

_She_ would've been furious at such a union—raved at him like she did when he first came to the Atlantis court covered in dirt and snapping at anything with the stupid sense to look at him wrong. And then _she_ would pat his head like he were still a child, smile and remind him to honor his consort, treat him well and show his lover it was not a silly union of connivance. Show that his feelings were genuine and see the first months of their marriage as a trial to overcome their differences and grievances. After all had the goddess not done the same thing? And had her living husband not embraced her openly and kissed her lips when she was returned to him in the fall and had she not returned that warm embrace to the shock of all who never believed The Lord of Dark could love so truly not the perpetual maiden so fiercely?

He knew she would be right. He just hoped in six months time their second wedding would be one full of smiles. With _both_ the bride and groom waiting in attendance.

X X X

By the end of the tenday, Yugi still hadn't left his room, and Timaeus, outside the occasional meal left on the table, had not come to see him, either. The absence had both relieved and disappointed him and left him more confused than before. He'd been grateful for the time alone to think and process. Yet he felt hurt Timaeus had not come to speak to him, to explain, to comfort him like he usually did. He knew who it was spying him in the Sacred Pool through the windows in his room. He knew who it was leaving his meals and departing in silence with only the clicking echo of metal shoes. But he never said a word…and Yugi never called out to him. Yugi wondered if he even cared to.

He expelled a sigh, inhaling the aroma of palm and lotus blossoms, but even they did little to ease his troubled thoughts. He waited and watched, as the dancing blossoms absorbed the last of Ra's life-giving rays then curled back into their secure ponds and sank beneath the waters. When he was young his mother always told him we are all like the lotus. Born in the darkness and reaching, struggling to find the light, but we always do and once we do then we reveal our true hearts. He'd never questioned it. Never needed to. But looking at them now, watching them sink and pondering the metaphor, he wondered, if that were true, why did the lotus always sink? Why did they retract from the light, hide their hearts and sink back into the darkness? Perhaps, we _were _all looking for the light, and once we found it, it revealed out true hearts, but only until we learned it was safer in the darkness. Safer to hide our secret hearts so they wouldn't get picked and broken, and the pieces scattered like plucked flower petals.

He stayed to watch them until Ra had slunk behind the pillars, casting the garden in shadows. Numbly, he dragged his heavy body back to his room. The earthy aroma of boiled vegetables and rich herbs assaulted his senses when he entered. A small, single bowl of deep, muddy brown stew, thick with sliced onions and chopped leaks sat patiently next to a single piece of barely bread. Steam pooled over the sides like a mist of the Nile. The smell churned his nervous stomach. Nausea filled his mouth with the raw, polluted taste of bile. He ignored the meal and slunk to his bed.

The chest glittered on his night stand like a hopeful blue star. Weakly, Yugi pulled it to his chest. One _remen_ across and half a _djeser_ deep, it fit perfectly in his arms. His collection of treasures: his own personal dowry of secrets and dreams, clicked softly within like a non-rhythmic heartbeat. It didn't include the silver decorations his brother's reign was famous for. Or the fine jewels passed down from his ancestors. They weren't his to take or keep. It made him laugh, almost. How little he owned was actually his. No, this chest contained his own secret heart buried within the jeweled lotus. He wondered if Timaeus had it decorated specifically for that purpose.

Thinking of his suitor—and possible fiancé—he clenched the box tighter. Remembering how those strong arms had held him once and how that embrace had felt more real than the throne of Kemet. Wondering what it would be like to have those arms around him every night, and that powerful body on top of his. Kissing him senseless and filling him with dreams. And wondering if he'd survive the morning if all he found beside him was a cold bed sheet. Shivering, he pulled the claustrophobic furs around him and let the stiff linens absorb his heat. Slumping lazily onto the pillows, the box still in his arms, he fell asleep feeling butterfly kisses and the warm breath of gentle words over his skin. Like a lotus, he let himself curl into a pod and sink into a darkness he hoped to never awake from.

X X X

The morning was not so kind.

He awoke to the pounding of impatient footsteps. "Yugi! Are you awake?" His mind barely made out the muffled questions, and he buried his head deeper under the furs. His responded with a sloppy chorus of groans.

The Lady of Two Lands swooped to the sleeping chamber. "Yugi, wake up" She shook the bundle impatiently. Yugi burrowed deeper into the blankets. "Oh! Up child!" Mut scolded and slapped his leg. Yugi woke with a startled yelp. He glared at her, half-lazy and semi-alert. He tried to bury deeper into his cave, but she ripped away the blankets "None of that now!" she snapped with matronly stern, so loud and rough that he dragged himself to his feet.

She rolled her eyes at his aggravated glare, spun him around to face the baths. "Make haste," "She sent him off with a rough shove and he nearly stumbled over his feet. "And hurry, you are to meet us in the House of Amun as soon as you are presentable."

He skimmed them with a bored expression. Then he returned his gaze to her and arched a brow. Her lovely face contorted into a frustrated snort. "Go! Go! Go!" She shooed behind him. "Now's not the time for ill tempers."

She spun to the maids: two of them had just finished drawing water. Two more stood in attendance, one holding vials of oil, another carried armfuls of soft linen. More flocked about her cautiously, carrying kilts and tunics of all styles and samples of precious jewels and platters of pasty pigments. The Great Lady examined them all with a scrutinizing gaze. She approved some with a nod a dismissed others with a wave of her hand. "Shoo, all of you!" She barked and the maids scattered.

She turned to Yugi, who'd yet to move. Her mouth set in a royal frown and her eyes punishingly sharp. "Into the bath before I throw you in." She warned dangerous and low. "The Lord Dartz has volunteered his Knights to escort you. I'd prefer it if you didn't keep them waiting."

Yugi shuffled to the bath, and stripped his clothes with a rebellious stomp. The maids were upon him when he reached the water. "What is all this!" Yugi demanded, punishing the girls with slaps of water.

Mut spun to him, her face set in frustrated frown and her shaking hand restrained a slap. "You need not be present for your marriage, but it would please _me_ to see you treat this with at least a little of the respect it deserves," she warned lowly.

The maids returned with a wrapped bundle in her arms. Mut snatched it from her hands and scattered it across the bed. A small smile slit her face. "Well, well," she said with purposeful volume. "It seems your fiancé has sent you another gift. I think it will fit the day's events accordingly."

She left the room with a final word and her smile pierced Yugi with its gaze. "All will be well, child. I promise you."

He started at the door with vacant bewilderment. His mind half-drunk and fogged from sleep, he barely registered her irate muttering, but he recognized the seriousness in her tone. He must've forgotten something truly important to have made her so frantic.

He put up no further protests as the maids scrubbed him down, tied back his hair and adorned him with lotus scents. They'd dried him in expensive linen and decorated his eyes with coals and rubbed his chest and wrists in sharp-smelling balm. One brought him a pair of soft linen sandals apologizing she couldn't locate his oxen ones. He'd dismissed them with a frustrated snap, and they left him alone to dress.

He ran a hand through his wet bangs dampening it with raindrops. Strutting naked across the bed, he cautiously examined Mut's choice of attire and froze. The tunic was unlike any he'd ever seen. Cut in two pieces, the long kilt was of a familiar black linen, silky under his fingers and shot through with shiny gold threads. In addition, a slender white belt, brocaded in the same gold and black threads went around his waist and clasped in the front with gold. The tunic was a long and made of both black silk and white linen, but had been decorated with the same gold and black brocade along the chest hem to match the first. Cut to expose the shoulders, it had an additional gold neck-piece. It wasn't until he saw the back tied up like a bodice with silver ribbons that he recognized why it was so familiar.

The note explained it: _I know you dislike woman's clothes, but I hoped these familiar garments would bring you comfort. They always looked lovely on you._

His fingers ran over the garment, brushing silky black linen, rough white cotton and cool gold beads. The same ones Timaeus said were too lovely to cut up, even when Yugi raged like a child about looking like a woman. His cheeks burned at the memory. His gaze fell back to the box. This time he slipped the box open and pulled it into his lap. He slipped off the linen shoes and replaced them with his beloved oxen white sandals. He'd been correct; he realized when he examined himself, fully dressed in the copper mirror. The oxen sandals matched Timaeus' gift much better.

Gift. He reprocessed the word then he rolled his eyes. The man probably thought it was sweet gesture, but that did little to mask what Yugi knew it was: another wedding gift. Another thing. And Yugi refused to be bought.

His door rattled under the force of an impatiently heavy knock. Yugi jumped his musings forgotten.

"Prince Ujalah," The tile came out in a forced hiss. His name uttered like a curse. Yugi spun from the mirror and gasped at the two armored guards standing in the threshold of his chamber. Both glad in full bodied Atlantian armor: one a deep burgundy like dried blood, the other navy like the darkness of Nut.

He knew them immediately as Critias and Hermos. Timaeus' comrades and fellow Dragon Knights though on Timaeus, as leader claimed the title of General. He'd only glimpsed them the few times they'd met but looking at them now, Hermos' usually indifferent expression curled downward in apologetic but powerless obedience. Critias made no effort to conceal his distain. His face fixated on Yugi with an almost gleeful scowl.

Yugi decided he didn't like. He rose to his full height and dignified his steps.

"Yes, Lord Critias," he spoke the title the same way Critias had. "I am Prince of this nation and you'd do well to remember it," he stomped by, but froze when the Knight snatched his arm. "I'd watch my tongue child," Critias spat. "I don't care if your absence will not affect the ceremony, but _I, _for one will not have our General shamed by a child." He breached edict and glared. Hermos swooped forward and grabbed his hand and gave a small squeeze. Critias released him as if in pain and ripped away, but it was clear that it was Hermos who released him. The man said nothing then turned to the prince with a bow.

"This way your highness." It was the first time Yugi had heard him speak. "They're waiting for you."

Yugi stormed forward. Discomfort hastening his steps, determined to put distance between himself and his escorts. The temple's entrance was on the far side of the Pet- ah's onions chamber, but you couldn't fathom the reason why they be holding a Royal ceremony so early. There were no such scheduled events that he knew of except of course for the daily greeting of Amun, but that ritualistically occurred only at dawn, and estimating Ra's position in the sky, dawn had occurred much earlier.

His thoughts wondered to his escorts. Critias' sudden rage had come as a shock to him as well as Hermos break in indifference. He didn't know either of them well, so all of this bewildered him. What he had done to address a such treatment? It couldn't be because he and their General had been fighting. Surely it couldn't?

They reached the Great God's House faster than he expected. He barely remembered passing the North Gate. His gaze met that of Amun's incarnate. He stared down at him with almost sympathy glittering in his stone eyes, and his escorts standing on either side of the entrance. Yugi entered the forecourt and stepped into an odd scene: the small gathering consisted of the Per-a'ah, The Royal Wife, King Dartz, and The Divine Servant and Adoratrice cluttered around the alter at the chief God's feet.

His sister stood at Amun's altar, her lovely form completely draped in semi-transparent linens that clung to her frame and winged her arms like fine silks, her dark hair crowned in Mut's vulture headdress and golden jewelry of Amun crowned her arms, wrists and throat. Pas, transformed in silvery and finery into the legendary Per'a'ah, stood on the left front. His shoulder's squared his jaw tight and his eyes unreadable, Yugi thought he looked in every inch the Living Horus. King Dartz, donning Atlantian robes and fine jewels, stood behind him, his crown bowed, and making no move to surpass the Lord of Kemet. Opposite them on the altar's opposing side, to Yugi's great surprise, stood Menkheperre and Maatkare. Washed, shaved, fed, and dressed in the finest linens and papyrus sandals: they looked their respective roles, yet their shoulders slumped and faces were grim. Neither made an effort to dignify their posture.

Scattered around them were the hem-netjer and servants from Waset's table, those who served his eldest sister stood intermingled with those that served his younger senior siblings, with no visual signs of animosity between them.

Their gazes fell on Yugi when he entered. Spotlighted, he froze. Pas' expression did not change. Mut only offered him a shadow of a smile. Dartz did not look at him, but for a single instant, Yugi swore he'd saw something in Menk and Maat. Something that made him call them by their childhood names and filled his heart with regret, before it quickly faded. Maat turned away to cry and Menk's face looked nothing like the commanding madman Yugi had grown to despise.

Mut continued her chant: listing titles with great zeal. Pas rose his hand heavenward and pulled a ring free from one of his hands, dabbed it with something "Akheperre Setepenamun Son of Ra Psuennes I." He said his throne name and pressed it hard onto the table.

Mut spoke again, this time addressing the Divine Servant and Adoratrice. She continued to lists Amun's other names and titles and that of their ancestors dating back to the first of their dynasty and beyond to their first of their legacy. When she finished, Menk removed a similar ring from his own finger with sluggish compliance and gently stamped it. "First Prophet of Amun at Waset." he stated his new reflection of his curtailed power, flat and robotically. Maat dried her tears and did the same. She said nothing.

Mut gathered the parchment and raised it to the sky. "It is done! The Treaty and Terms between The Living Horus, Esu-bity, Son of Ra, and The First Prophet of Amun, Hem-Netjer of his Great House in Waset before our Great Witness, his Royal Eminence, King of Atlantis and his Holy Dragon Knights, our beloved Ujalah, son of his Great Majesty Divine Servant Hem-netjer of Amun and Son of Ra Pindejem I and his Lady Wife Singer of Amun and Priestess of his Consort as both the Heavenly Lady Mut and the Avenging Mistress Sekhment, Isetemkheb and all before Amun within his House, is now in affect!" The words echoed with power, severity and finality.

It was then Yugi understood his sibling's faces. The looks on their faces: sheer and absolute defeat.

Two servants shot forward each bronzed slabs on pillow and bowed as Mut came around the altar. "Take this back to the palace. Take one copy into the House's archives, the second will go to Waset and be placed in the Great King's true house." They bowed and obeyed. A third servant took the scroll and held it up in grand presentation and carried it through the walls. The room cheered and followed without orders, leaving their Per'a'ah and Great Lady within the walls. Yugi could hear the cheers and echoes outside the pylon.

The public had already arrived to witness the spectacle: the Per'a'ah, The Royal Wife and Second Prophet of Amun, the Divine Servant and the Divine Adoratrice and all their council and attendance gathered in one room, in agreement with one of the most powerful and feared names in the known world on peaceful terms. The signing of the documents had simply been a formality.

They emptied the House leaving only the Royal Family and their Atlantian guests. Menk released an exasperated sigh and dropped his arms. Maat dropped like a mourner but quickly composed herself and to Yugi's surprise she spoke "If it's all the same, sister," she said absent of malice. "Our brother and I would prefer to wait in the First Court while you and our great friend conclude your…" she paused and looked in Dartz' direction then her gaze fell on Yugi. "Business." The sympathy in her eyes shocked and surprised him.

Mut and Pas bowed, and Maat dragged Menk to his feet and guided him through the Pylon gates to join the celebrating crowd. They didn't look at Yugi. "Be well, child." Maat whispered. "Whatever you feel for us now, always remember we loved you."

Warning drums pounded in Yugi's chest. The words struck like a painless slap. He spun to them but he barely caught a glimpse of them before the two Knights parted to let them pass. Confusion and uncertainty spiraled in his stomach into knots and he spun to the others for clarity—and heard the familiar clicking of metal shoes.

He witnessed Mut placing another parchment on the table, Pas spun to the other side and Dartz stepped back. Timaeus, who'd attempted to remain hidden until that moment, stepped forward. Yugi saw the skeleton of regret on his face. Then he rose stone-faced: the man he once imagined himself loving gone and the General, the Trierarch, the man he feared was Timaeus' real face, stepped forward.

Mut began the chant, confused Yugi marched forward but Dartz blocked him with an arm. "Stay child," he mollified. "It'll be over soon."

Yugi blinked, he looked to Timaeus and Pas, watched as Pas once more removed his ring and pressed it to paper. His eyes expanded and horror and he sucked in a long breath, filling his body with the ghost of despair, when he finally recognized Mut's chant.

"No!" He chocked the words. Mut paused but then continued. It was Pas who spoke. "Be easy, child it's almost over."

"No," Yugi shook his head and backed away from Dartz when he tried to catch him. "No, No. No…please…" _Not like this_ he pleaded to every deity who'd listen. His eyes flew to Timaeus. Desperate, pleading amethyst bore urgently into a deep, singular emerald full of dying hope. Timaeus' face fell: his mouth was a small frown, his eyes soft and rueful and his chin bowed. It was the face of a lost man

The last of Yugi's hope died. He turned pleadingly to his sister. "Please, I don't want this…"

"That's not what you told me," Mut paused then continued. "It's almost over," she assured and concluded the chant.

_No…_Yugi backed away in horror: his heels spun to turn, his limbs were light and ready to flee. One more step and he'd break into a run.

"Don't think of it," Critias hissed in his ear. "I won't have you embarrass our General further."

_Further_, he'd said, like his mere presence was an embarrassment already.

Yugi wanted to scream. He wrenched himself away from the man and spun to the company. His eyes wild and his shoulders squared with defiance. "I won't sign it," he bit low and harsh.

It didn't have the desire affect. "It's already done," Mut said simply: matter-of-fact. She acknowledged Timaeus with a nod. With one last look to Yugi, he sighed, removed something from around his neck and pressed his signature to the parchment. Mut and Pas shared a look and at once Yugi understood.

His head dropped, his fingers curled and he visibly shook. "Is _this_ what thought I wanted?" He accused, sharp and biting.

The worst part was that some secret part of him, so secret he had even kept it from him, _did_ want this. How many times had he thought of it while he was in Timaeus' care? Wondered what it would be like each and every time Mut teased him with the idea. It was as he'd always imagined it: with Timaeus, his knight, his emerald shadow standing on the dais; Mut zealously negotiating the contract the way she would a sacred chant, Pas in all his finery and the Atlantian King standing on either side in attendance. All of it done within the House of Amun with his God and ancestors bearing witness. It was all he'd ever wanted…and it was all a charade.

A sinister pleasure filled him when he saw them shake. "A proxy arranged and agreed without my consent? Without asking me!?" He shot to Timaeus when he said it. "And what am I? Nothing but a bystander? Not important enough to partake in my own ceremony?"

"Be grateful you were chosen!" Critias barked, enraged.

"Critias…" Dartz hissed, warningly.

"Enough!" Timaeus' command echoed low and harsh. With a sweep of his hand, the papyrus contract was signed. The event concluded. He turned from the altar and strode towards Yugi. His hallowed eyes intimidated Yugi more than powerful frame encased in his emerald armor ever could.

He backed away with a shiver of apprehension. His eyes darted for safety but Timaeus' fixed him with a thunderous gaze and paralyzed him there. He shook, wanting to run, but his feet wouldn't move. Timaeus was upon him in a single step, his full height towering over Yugi and he stepped back to quickly, nearly, stumbling. Timaeus snatched his arms.

Yugi stared back frozen, waiting. Then Timaeus' eyes softened and he leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to Yugi's frozen lips. Yugi gasped but couldn't pull away. The kiss wasn't hard or domineering like their first kiss, it was soft like their second but instead of the promising passion was the mournful hint of apology.

Timaeus pulled away. There was auditable click and something cold and heavy fell on Yugi's bare wrist. He gasped and looked down. A bracelet encircled his wrist like a shackle, but it was beautiful with a lovely amethyst oval surrounded by purple lotus, crafted in the style of Egyptian wedding jewelry. It was a tradition native to the west, adapted in the later dynasties to reflect loving unity.

Loving unity. Yugi's heart sank. Everything his marriage was not.

"Proxy or not, you are now my consort," Timaeus whispered in his ear.

The words sank in Yugi's stomach like a stone. His mind spiraled and he felt his knees weakening, but Timaeus caught him and scooped him into his arms.

"We shall depart for Atlantis at dawn, but tonight we shall rest and celebrate." With that he left the House of Amun, Yugi still in his arms. He clung to his chest, feeling cloth under armor and flesh under cloth. Realization claws at his chest like poisoned knives.

"No…" He choked a whisper and blinked back tears. If Timaeus heard him he gave no notice, and Yugi didn't dare look at him. Cold claws prickled his spine with each pylon they passed.

All around them Kemet celebrated: Singers chanted love songs and dancers spun in wild spins. Citizens cheers and wished them well. Soldiers clicked mugs and gulped beer. In their drunken stupor soldiers and men alike flashed perverted comments, while girls gossiped and 'ooed' like concubines. It was an open secret and they parted ways for the happy couple as if to be a part of it.

_The Eye of Timaeus _loomed closer, beckoning them with a private, secret place to "conclude" their nuptials. Yugi's stomach churned with despair when he realized there was no escape. His wedding night would indeed be a consummation of joy and pleasure. But none of it would be his.

* * *

(Queen slouches on her throne, Kuriboh in her lap and downs a gin and tonic surrounded by her K-T Kuriboh body guards) It's good to be the Queen...

Now...since a few people brought his up...don't be TOO mad at Timaeus, if u read his POV you know he's not too happy about this either. (Speaking of which any guess who the SHE Timaeua was referring to it?) remember Timaeus asked to marry Yugi: his job is done it's the royals and the family who decide what happens next. So hate him all you want now but remember this is YUGI'S POV and right now? He's a bit of N unreliable narrator at the moment.

Glossary of Terms:

_Remen—_Ancient Egyptian unit of measurement, 5 palms or 20 fingers; about 15 inches.

_Djser—_Ancient Egyptian unit of measurement, 4 palms, 16 fingers, about 1 foot (half would be about six inches.

_Egyptian blue:_ a calcium copper silicate pigment used by the Ancient Egyptians in a variety of clothing, ornaments and decoration to mimic the semi-precious stones of lapis lazuli. Both the color and the stone were held in high-regard and valued by the Ancient Egyptians for their rarity and stark blue color (blue being a heavenly color in Ancient Egypt). It was also the color of the beloved river lotus or blue lotus and was used in a variety of media and Egyptian art. In this case, Timaeus uses it to mimic Yugi's beloved blue lotus for decorative purpose.

Hope Chest: also known as a dowry box, cedar box etc. Although not cultural until the 17 or 1800s, the Ancient Egyptians DID have lots of ornament boxes and chests, preferably made from cedar (which was imported) because its smell kept away insects and it was less prone to rotting. They used these boxes to store their favorite jewelry and important documents and their personal effects such as linens. In later years, they were use as gifts for new brides: while preparing for her wedding she would keep her personal mementos and things she wanted to take with her to her new home. I found them while researching Ancient Egyptian boxes and thought it fit the situation and the Atlantis marriage custom I created ^^

History Note: While the events in this fiction are purely fictional: in actual history, the real Menkheperre had his power curtailed with his brother becoming Per-a'ah and thought he did rule on as defacto ruler of the desert, he took as his throne name First Prophet of Amun, a title used by his grandfather, in order to reflect this diminished status. Maatkare would also take one of Psusennes and Mutnedjmet's daughters as her apprentice who would eventually become God's Wife of Amun during the reign of her brother Psusennes II.

Now for those of you who want to kill me right now or kill Timaeus, you might not see his POv next chapter but who will the one after that ;) my goal is to get the next tree chaps done this weekend since I'll be on a mini-vacation in Florida ;)

**_NEXT TIME:_** _Timaeus and Yugi's last night in Egypt. END OF PART ONE_


	28. Chapter XXVII: Departure

Sorry this chapter is a week late, but it turned out much longer than I anticipated and I HAD to make it all perfect...and I am SO happy without how it came out! ALL OF IT!

Gotta say, I was DELIGHTED with the response of last last chapter, and Slightly annoyed cause I LOVED everyone's passion and how much you all love Yugi but at the same time i was a bit annoyed everyone seemed to jump on and blame Timaeus when I spent only the entire story convincing you guys what a good guy he is, but on the other hand it means I TOTALLY pulled off Yugi as an unreliable narrator and I REALLY hope i can continue to rouse your emotions and make you all think as this story continues...

Important note at the end of the chapter! (feel free to skip the authors notes if you like, but please read the announcement)

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Dedications: To all the Fans and Reviewers: you guys are just amazing! And, of course to, all my writing friends, you know who you are, for the wonderful convos, exchanging ideas and always making me think outside the box. And most of all to Val for being the best Beta ever and just an awesome friend!

And now...the moment you've all been waiting for the nerve-wracking, heart-throbbing, pulse-pounding, hopefully tear-jerking conclusion to Part I of TIMAEUS OF LOCRI ENJOY!

* * *

_Chapter XXVI: Departure_

Yugi buried his face in Timaeus' chest and tried not to sob. Crying wouldn't save him and a fit would do nothing for his pride, but he felt the thick beads of frustration and shock sliding down his cheeks. He pressed himself deeper into Timaeus arms and angrily wiped them away with his sleeve. He'd be in Ammut's belly before he let Timaeus see him cry again.

The ground shifted beneath him and he felt Timaeus lift him higher into his arms. Instinctively, Yugi squeaked and wrapped his arms around Timaeus' neck. Briefly, Yugi saw his gaze, stone-faced and hallowed-eyes. Yugi's heart dropped. The cloud of grief evaporated into anger and the anger provided clarity. Revealed was the terrible, heartbreaking truth that came with it: it was a merger, a charade, a treaty, practical and convenient and everything he feared.

It hurt. More than Yugi cares to admit it, it hurt. It hurt to even think about it, and when he did remembered how his stupid self-looked at the memory chest gift and the clothes he wore and thought maybe, just maybe, Timaeus did care for him as more than a charge to protect. The one who walked gullibly into the House that morning believing when Mut said everything would be alright and thought she was going to spare him this fate. He wanted to take that stupid, naive child so full of romantic dreams so vain and juvenile they made him want to weep and shake him before he fell.

And fell he had. How could he not? Timaeus wasn't some fat, seasoned old man beyond his prime an ready to settle in drunken liaison. No, he was handsome. Undeniably so. Handsome and vivacious and no doubt seasoned in strength as well as passion. And he was kind, a rare trait in any man. He was charming, but manipulatively so. He had been gracious and understanding during their journey. He'd encouraged his sharp tongue rather than scolded it, delighted in his rebellion instead of punishing him like a prisoner. More than once, Yugi could imagine himself as Timaeus' husband. Kindness and charm were Timaeus' weapons and he wielded them with perfect cunning. He'd _known_ that and yet he still allowed himself to dream, to hope that his promises weren't just pretty words. He'd paid for his blind foolishness. Timaeus' cold indifference when he'd pressed his name to their marriage contract had been proof of that.

The floorboards creaked under Timaeus metal shoes. The sound shook him awake and alert. They were on the ship now, The Eye of Timaeus, the emerald draconic vessel named after its fearless and ferocious ruler. The ship where they'd first spoke, first talked, first kissed and first slept. It suddenly dawned on him it would soon be their First Night. His heart leapt with excitement, then shame, then dread.

There would be no escaping it. It would happen and he couldn't stop it. Timaeus was a warrior, fearsome as he was in his armor, he boasted a warrior's body: powerfully built, perfectly sculpted, flawlessly strong and ripped with the scars of victorious battles. Those frightening muscles that had held him so tenderly would easily subdue him. Any physical protest would be dealt with the effort of swiping away a fly and would only make things worse for his physical person as well as his soul. Worse of all, he wasn't sure he wanted to.

The only hope for dignity was to not fall like some slave girl into his arms. But was it even possible? Timaeus wasn't some obese, drunken oaf. He was young and handsome with the lascivious vivacity of a man in his prime. The scarred sun-kissed skin and sculpted muscles terrified and captivated him. How many times had he fallen into those strong arms? How often had those fierce kisses left him breathless and wanting more? Perhaps it would damage his pride less if Timaeus was some elderly veteran. But no, Timaeus was alluring and he knew how to weaponize it. Just one night in his bed would be more dangerous than a thousand nights of shame. How many rouge kisses and uninvited thrusts would it take before he broke? How long would his pride last before he gave in? Perhaps it would be easier to lie still and spread his legs like a good little whore.

No, he decided. He wouldn't give him the satisfaction of his pleasure. He would do this with dignity and not let Timaeus control him.

Suddenly the doors swung open with a loud thud and Yugi found himself once more in the Trierarch's quarters. Yugi grimaced when Timaeus closed it behind him with his foot. He approached the bed and Yugi clung tighter to him, then let go when Timaeus set him down, disgusted he'd clung to him like a scared child.

His body sank into the mattress, the feathery softness overwhelming compared to the linen mats he was used to. Scrambling to sit up, he watched Timaeus turn around and remove his armor piece by piece: each metallic clank was the echo of a death march, but he refused to shiver. The armored belt was last leaving him in only his under-armor. It did nothing to conceal him. He set it down on top of the pile in the corner, then pressed his hands to his desk and expelled a heavy sigh.

"Yugi…" The tone was deep and apologetic.

Despite himself, Yugi visibly stiffened. _This is_ _it_. He resolved himself. _I can do this the easy way or the hard way_, he stiffened his spine. _I won't be some sniveling whelp._ He squared his shoulder and let all his anger and betrayal bleed into his gaze "Well, aren't you going to bed your _bride_?" He spat.

Timaeus spun slowly. He matched Yugi's expression with an unreadable gaze. Then he smiled, small and diffident, and stepped slowly towards him.

Yugi shivered: his resolve breaking. He stopped at the end of the bed and sat down. His lips an odd mix between a smile and a frown, and his dull gaze captured Yugi's. "S-S-Stop it," Yugi back peddled away and berated himself for stuttering. _Stop looking at me like that…_

Timaeus didn't stop. He swooped forward and gently grabbed Yugi's arms. Yugi opened his mouth to scream, then felt the strong arms he'd once adored wrapped around him. Too stunned to react, Yugi let Timaeus hold him. His forehead pressed in the crease of Yugi's shoulder, an arm wrapped securely around his waist, the other stroking his back.

"No," was the single syllable, strong, decisive and powerful. "I have no intention of consummating our union," He soothed, low and mollifying. Timaeus' fingers wove into Yugi's hair and massaged his scalp, and though it burned Yugi to admit it, he found it comforting.

Then he took Yugi by his shoulders and locked Yugi's gaze with his own: a grave, searing emerald magnified by the severity of his scar. No matter how much he wanted to, Yugi couldn't look away. "Not, until we've returned to my home in Locri," Timaeus added, "And then only after I restore the trust you once had in me."

The words were so earnest and sorrowed, his eyes so desperate and willing that Yugi could bare it no longer. His shaking hands wove in his hair and he screamed. His anger, grief and frustration poured down his face in thick beads of moisture and he flung himself at his husband. Whether to attack him or embrace him, Yugi didn't know. He collapsed in his lap and Timaeus caught him and held him tight.

"I hate you!" Yugi screamed, his tiny fists beating the man's chest in robotic rage. "I hate you! I hate you! I hate you!" He screamed it, convincing the heavens but not himself.

Timaeus only held him tighter until he exhausted himself and collapsed silently crying. "That is alright, sweet one_._" He soothed, rubbing Yugi's back until he collapsed into sleep.

X X X

Timaeus held Yugi the rest of the evening. The young man's sleep was ironically peaceful, and Timaeus was glad of that. He deserved some rest and time to recover from his distress. It was rightly earned. Timaeus sighed, exhaustively and rocked his sleeping spouse gently. The day's events weighted heavily on his mind and the stress left his throat suffocatingly tight, like anchors dragging him beneath the sea.

It had hardly been the happy send-off either of them had imagined and held none of the affection they'd shared that special day at Mut's sacred pool. That soft single act had been so full of hope and affection, even Timaeus dared to believe it was love if such a thing could exist so suddenly. It made him wonder if his past experience had simply been the idealistic dreams of a young lad naïve of true commitment. Perhaps he had been. Perhaps he still was. It wouldn't be the first time his mistook devotion for love, but somehow the thought never entertained him with Yugi. The youth had intrigued him since they met: feisty, fiery and hardly helpless, he painted the perfect picture of a bratty noble child, one who'd been raised in prestige and knew well how to use it and believed himself arrogantly powerful because of it. But there was passion in his words, and caution in his movements, and it quickly became clear, Yugi was not some spoiled, selfish royal, but a survivor who'd been knocked down by life early in his youth and had climbed his way back up himself. It was something Timaeus admired, and saw himself in.

Perhaps that had been the first moment Timaeus had thought of him as more than a charge, but a kindred spirit. He had spent so much of his life keeping his heart a secret that it almost surprised him just how much of it he'd revealed to Yugi. How simple it had been, how unrestrained, and even more just how much Yugi _realized_ he was telling. No one before had picked out the pieces of his past so understandably. Not even Rebecca, though she, he knew, kept her silence out of respect. Everyone else no doubt enjoyed the mystery of him more than the truth. The _man_ would only sully the mystery. Yugi didn't care for the mystery. He'd never asked him directly or indirect, and yet Timaeus had hinted. Never once had Timaeus elaborated and yet Yugi had understood, and Timaeus dabbled in the hope that perhaps Yugi trusted him as well. A part of him must have, to have confided in him the way he had on the _Eye_, the way he had at Mut's pool? It made him hopeful that perhaps, just maybe, Yugi would trust him when Timaeus proposed the way he did.

Timaeus sighed again. Carefully, he laid Yugi down on the mattress, pulled his mantle off the table and wrapped it up to Yugi's shoulders. He collapsed on the end of the bed, his head falling into his hands. It was a testament to his resolve that he'd completed the ceremony without swaying. Yugi's horror-stuck face alone had nearly shattered it. His wet eyes had nearly been enough for Timaeus to cancel the whole event, but by then it was too late.

It seemed so idealistic now. To ask someone he'd only met a month before such a thing, when he'd barely even begun to court him. As much as he'd hoped Yugi's faith in him would understand, he'd been prepared when it hadn't. But how could he not? When Yugi had fallen to his knees and cried so desperately for his help. Timaeus had made a promise that day, and he was determined to keep it. He didn't regret his decision. The manner in which it was carried out, perhaps. It wasn't how he imagined they'd sail off together, and he knew it was never how Yugi imagined they'd be. But not his choice or the actions that followed. Yugi's heart had been broken too many times, his dreams ignored and sacrificed for too long, he deserved a house and a home, a name and a family, and Timaeus was selfish enough to hope and want that to be _his _home.

He could easily imagine himself waking to Yugi's smiling face each morning and holding him in his arms every night. Envision them ruling Locri together each time Yugi's eyes widened with delight when he spoke of his home. Imagined the prosperous world they could create together with Yugi running his house. The places they'd see and explore, the children they'd raise. It filled his heart with so many joyous hopes he dared believe they might someday be real.

A bitter chuckle slipped through the crack of his smile. Now, in the most twisted and corrupted sense, they _were_ real. It had happened the way he'd always imagined it would. Yugi entering the Temple to his own deity, the Royal Wife reading the chants, the Per-a'ah and his own King standing in acknowledgement and himself waiting at the altar for his little one to add his name to their written vows: it happened exactly as it was supposed to and it had all been wrong.

Of course, Yugi was enraged by it and petrified when he could do nothing to stop it. Thought Timaeus knew well it was more the unfairness of it all: of his proposal, of Yugi's own lack of involvement and he was right. It wasn't fair.

His heart felt heavy with sorrow and regret. He'd wanted so much to chase after Yugi when he'd run. Wanted so much to hold him and explain, but the unselfish part of himself reminded him to heed the Royal Wife's words. Remind him that Yugi was angry and upset and needed time to adjust and to trust the boy's sister to speak with him. Perhaps she had hoped just as he that being Yugi's oldest confident she could mollify his rage and help see beyond his pride, but they'd expected the moment he'd stubbornly locked himself in his rooms and pretend all he had to do was wait and it would all go away. They had planned the wedding in case of it, but he never thought they'd expected it. It had enraged Timaeus when they informed him of his plan, but he was merely a Knight against three Royals, one of whom was a Royal woman of whom marriage was her place and duty. Grooms had no place in the ceremonial details, but it still enraged him, even as he hoped once again Yugi trusted him enough to understand without Timaeus telling him, like he had before.

He released another dark chuckle. He'd should've known better than to ask so much of Yugi, who at best believed their union simply a duty-bound obligation of convenience, and his proposal done not out of love but simply Timaeus' fulfilling his honor by protecting an innocent. He wasn't wrong, but there was far more to his motives than that, and he had every intention of reassuring his charge he intended to keep each of his promises: those born of duty and those born of affection.

Yugi stirred awake with a small sound and Timaeus, spun to him. He made no move to hinder or promote his wakefulness and simply let Yugi's perception return naturally. Yugi rubbed his eyes and felt his forehead. His eyes widened when he looked down and his fingers spidered and creaked his clothes like they were swatting away insects. He spun to Timaeus who only offered him a small smile.

"You're awake," he said low and soft.

Yugi glared at him and backed away. His fingered checked his clothing again but the ribbons were still tight, the clasps of his belt were still locked. He looked at Timaeus confused then his eyes sharpened with alert.

"Well," His voice was more confused than bitter. "Aren't you going to finish the wedding?" He asked, voice rough with expectation and disgust. He knew what Yugi meant.

Timaeus arched his brow, skeptical and bewildered then he said "Do you want me to?" It was an honest, earnest question.

Yugi stared at him then looks away with a frown. "No."

"Then no, I will not."

"Why not!?" Yugi demanded more bewildered than angry. "Why should it matter what I want? It didn't before so why now? Why don't you just take what you want for me and get it over with? So we can both stop pretending this is something it isn't!"

Timaeus looked at him enraged. He shot forward but made no move to grab him; instead he glared directly into Yugi's eyes, emerald green and angry red slit sharpened with gross offense.

"Is that truly what you think of me?" He demanded, sharp and hurt. "Do you really think so little of me that you believe I would marry you just to bed you? And if you didn't want me then I would take you against your will? That I would _rape_ you!?" he said the word with such violent disgust like he was uttering the worst of all religious curses.

Yugi shrank under his gaze, but it wasn't fear Timaeus read in his eyes. "Did I not make my opinions on the issue clear when I executed my men who _dared_ attack you? Have I not treated you with the utmost chivalry while you were under my care? Have I not stated clearly that I value honor above all else, both my own and yours? Do you truly think so little of me that at the first test of loyalty you believe I would dare commit such a sin when it would defy not only my county and kingsmen, but my very character?"

"I don't know!" Yugi screamed and finally forced himself to look away. Hot tears filled his eyes but he angrily shook them away. The more from shame than anything else and he was done being scared and ashamed. "I don't know anymore..." He admitted soft and broken.

Timaeus backed away and cursed himself in a vigorous sigh. "I don't want to yell at you," he apologized. "I hoped that we could talk."

"Talk?" Yugi asked surprised then restrained it.

"About our relationship," he slid closer but stopped when Yugi fidgeted once then remained stoic. "I know you are upset with me, or rather you are upset with our situation. I cannot fault you for your anger." He stopped, waiting for a reaction. Yugi didn't speak or make eye contact. Timaeus slipped closer and ducked to meet his eyes. Yugi automatically looked to the side, not ready to face him.

"However," he said so softly that Yugi was taken aback by the shock of it. "I do not want this to ruin our bond, not when it has only just begun," he said with a purposeful pause to smile. Yugi shivered again, absent any fear this time. Timaeus continued. "The vows cannot be undone and I wouldn't undo them even if I wanted to. To do so would shame you and defy my honor. I refuse to do either and while I _do_ regret the circumstances of our arrangement, I do _not _regret my decision to marry you."

It was the first time Yugi turned to look at him. His brows were sharp and diagonal, toughening his eyes and frown but they flickered with something bright and pale blue. Timaeus knew immediately that it was hope. With a small smile, he gently moved his fingers to brush Yugi's hand. The fingers curled on reflex but Yugi didn't pull away. Timaeus smiled. It was a small comfort, but a progression nonetheless.

"Whatever you think of me now, sweet one…" He spun to face Yugi with his whole body and leaned forward to cup Yugi's frozen cheek. His eyes were dark, liquid and so penetrating that Yugi despaired. "I _do_ care deeply for you. I won't force you to accept this, nor do I intend to but I do hope in time you'll make peace with our circumstances. I promise you, our marriage will not be a loveless one." They were so full of desperation and hope. They moved closer, his lips a small frown and for an instant Yugi thought he was going to kiss him. What else could Yugi do but surrender and fall like he'd done so many times before.

But it never came. Instead, Timaeus' sad frown and penetrating eyes remained in place. He made no effort to move closer or pull away, but his eyes glittered with the barest flicker of hope that Yugi would accept him—and give them a chance.

With the greatest strength his body and spirit could muster Yugi pulled his cheek away, but only managed a simple turn. Timaeus' response was a sad frown and pressed a gently kiss to Yugi's hair. "Fear not, sweet one," he purred, giving Yugi's hand a small squeeze. "However long it takes me, I will do whatever I must to make you happy."

Timaeus removed himself from the bed and Yugi expelled a heavy, silent sigh of lost breath. His body felt heavy and light at once and his mind scrambled to make sense of it. He watched Timaeus open the wardrobe with absent-minded eyes then sucked in a breath when Timaeus tugged the flexible fabric and slid it easily off his shoulders.

His face alit with a heated flush. His eyes should've looked away but instead they widened. It struck him then that he'd never seen Timaeus' bare skin. The other had always been carefully clothed in his presence, never donning less than his under-armor and though it did nothing to hide his warrior's body it revealed nothing of his skin. Now, as the armor slid down his arms, his chest, his hips: it was all exposed to him.

He covered his mouth to keep from gasping and alert the other he was watching. Hills and valleys of aged, cut muscles were marked by the scars, telling the story of his life in vivid detail. Long clean cuts, jagged burst punctures, and hideously curved slashes some pale, some darker discolored the sandy skin of his back, a few speckled his arms, Yugi wondered if there were more on his front. Each one carried an intimidating and fascinating story that almost made him want to magically kiss them away like a fairy tale and yet another part of him found them intriguing and almost striking. Yet something was off about them, even the darkest ones were paled with age and none of them looked fresh like they'd had decades to heal.

He hadn't realized how long he'd been staring until he heard the cloth hit the floor. To his terrible disappointment and overwhelming relief, Timaeus wore something underneath. It was an odd garment, it reminded him of the light shenti he slept in, but the bottom was tightly closed like a short pair of pants tightly sculpting his thighs and pelvis and made of a light silken material, which exposed nothing. Nothing _visible_, he realized.

"Would you like something?" Yugi gasped when Timaeus spun and asked simply.

"What?" Yugi stuttered embarrassed.

Timaeus arched a brow. "Would you like something to sleep in?" he asked gesturing to the wedding outfit he still wore. Another under-armor was thrown over his arm, but it wasn't the heavy loose-fitting material he wore with his armor, it looked lighter and more silken and was light blue.

"I'm fine," Yugi said with a defensive snap. His face flushed and his fingers clung to his garments and his eyes sharp with embarrassment as opposed to distrust.

Timaeus snorted "Fine, but don't complain if you wake up stiff."

Yugi looked down at the outfit he'd worn to his wedding. It'd been cut and fitted from two different out fits he's both worn meant for a woman and yet it had been cut and restyled for an Egyptian prince. "Why did you give me this?" He mumbled unsure if he wanted an answer.

Timaeus, donning the new under-armor and sporting a kind smile, sat on the end of the bed. "They are yours are they not? From your time on the ship? I'd hoped they'd be a more…personal wedding gift." he confessed. Yugi remembered thinking that was a romantic gesture when he wasn't angry, but it still didn't explain why he'd cut them up.

"And I remembered you disliked women's clothing so I had them fitted in the style of a Nomach," Timaeus added nearly reading his mind. Yugi shot up. Timaeus chuckled. "Sadly, my knowledge of Kemetic attire is lacking. I hope the style is to your liking."

"The ribbons aren't very kemetic," he gestures to the bodice-like back. "But it's comfortable otherwise," he admitted then added a semi-reluctant "Thank you."

"Tis the least I can do," Timaeus slowly moved closer. To his relief, Yugi didn't jump away. "I wouldn't be a good husband if I couldn't provide for my lover." He purred warmly.

"But…" Yugi's surprised stutter made him pause "You said I was your consort."

Yugi's eyes rose to meet his and Timaeus froze. Too late he realized he'd said the statement out loud. Then his eyes softened. Yugi had not looked away.

Tenderly he lifted a hand, clear and assuring Yugi it was a gesture of affection. "Yes, you are," he said gently. The fingers curled under Yugi's jaw, his thumb sliding over his cheek. Timaeus said softly, unsure what to add. So he told the truth: "And with that comes all the affection and respect that position deserves, in my business as well as my heart."

Again Yugi wondered if Timaeus would kiss him. And again, Timaeus stopped just short of the act. Relinquishing control to him if only he were willing to accept it. Part of him longed too. Part of him screamed in disgust. The stubborn part of him sneered at the thought of surrender, and the sinister part of him was entertained by the desperate plea. But the secret part of him, the one that still believed in love and hoped so optimistically for the future wanted to trust him. To accept the offer and let them start over and regain what they had before.

But the voice was too deep and its whispers too tiny and it sounded silent under his deafening insecurities whispering unpleasant reminders in his ears. Reminding him he'd seen this mask before, and that it would fade just as the Trierarch and the General faded and the Diplomat and the Guardian did. Their time together had been so short and yet it seemed too long, Timaeus had shared things with him and yet he'd barely told him anything, but he'd listened to Yugi. Or was that, too, a mask? There were so many masks. So many sides to this single personality, it made him wonder who he'd fallen in love with: the man behind the masks, or the mask the man wore only with him? Could he ever _truly_ trust such an uncertainty?

Then suddenly Timaeus pulled away. "That's alright, Yugi." He said with a slow sigh. Yugi blinked and watched Timaeus put out the candles: Amun's journey to the underworld nearly complete.

"I didn't expect you to forgive me immediately." The defeated sadness of the tone suddenly made Yugi angry. Like it was arousing pity.

"Curious, _now_ you ask for forgiveness after ignoring me for nearly a week," he mumbled a snort.

Timaeus paused with a deliberate shiver in his spine. He set the candleholder down with a deliberate thud. "I did _not_ ignore you," Timaeus snapped at the accusation, low and dangerous with rage. "If I recall, I came to see you _every _morning. _You _chose not to acknowledge me."

"Then why did you not speak to me!" Yugi accused rolling onto his knees with a sharp glare and a sharper tongue. "You didn't think I knew it was you bringing my meals and leaving me things? Did you hope to buy me?" Yugi bit. It was harsher than he intended but his anger had found him and left venom on his tongue.

"Don't be dense," Timaeus scolded with a sharp eye-roll. "Those were meant to be mementoes. We both know frivolous gifts would not please you."

It was true, Yugi knew, but he wouldn't admit it. Anger had sharpened his pride and it wouldn't be satisfied without the last word. "You still ignored me."

"_That_-" Timaeus cut him off. "Was out of your respect for your wishes. You were upset and angry, I was merely giving you space._ You _ did it out of spite."

Their eyes locked again. Flaming amethyst and boiling emerald locked in a spiral of anger and hurt and the lust to scold the cause of it by spreading the fire. They waited: neither looked away, neither lessened their glare. Then Timaeus closed his eyes and exhaled sharply, a hand running through his bangs.

Yugi blinked his burning eyes, his pride sedated by bewilderment.

"But perhaps I could've tried harder…"Timaeus admitted with a harsh apology.

Yugi mind exploded. Confusion and shock smashed against his scolded pride and gave way to an angry _How dare he!?_ That boiled like a festering wound then quickly melted into a collective calm. _How can he be so…_His mind ravaged then spiraled when it couldn't fathom an answer. Sincere? Mature? Apologetic? Controlled? He wasn't sure if it pleased him or angered him more.

"Come," Timaeus said gentler and put out the last candle. Only the moonlight illuminated them now. "It's late and we're both tired. Let us continue this in the morning."

He pulled the covers back and Yugi jumped then quickly scurried to the other side and plopped down, stubbornly facing the wall.

Timaeus exhaled a loud groan. "There's no need for that. I promised you I would not consummate the marriage until we reached Locri."

"Because of tradition," Yugi s muttered the snap

"That is part of it," Timaeus admitted, earnestly. Yugi felt the bed dip under his weight and heard each crunch in the mattress as he moved closer. "And it is my hope that we may use that time to restore our bond before attempting any physical nuptials." Yugi froze when he pulled the covers to Yugi's shoulder. "It will depend entirely on you."

"And what if I don't," Yugi bit his lip and pressed deeper into the mattress, muffling his next words. "What if I never do."

Timaeus' hand came again, this time it gently took Yugi's shoulder and roller him over. Yugi sucked in a breath when he landed on his back, but Timaeus did not move closer, only stared down at him with a single soulful high highlighted by a promising red slit. Yugi stared up at him, not moving. Only watching. Those kind eyes were upon him again and he couldn't stop himself from falling. A secret part of him _wanted _to fall.

Timaeus bent down leaning closer. Yugi's heart pounded and he closed his eyes waiting for lips to press against his. Instead, the baritone rushed in over his ear with punishing force. "Then I give my word to The One Who Loves Ma'at and Who Detests Evil."

Then Timaeus pulled away and looked Yugi sharply in the eyes. "And I always keep my word." The baritone deepened with harsh gravity.

With that, he pulled the blankets once more to Yugi's shoulders and pulled away. Yugi watched him take his place on the other side of the bed and turn his back to Yugi. Yugi spun around grateful for the darkness hiding his blushing face and the burning in his eyes.

"I still don't trust you," he chocked out, finally.

"I know," Timaeus said with smile but his eyes were sad. "Get some sleep little gem we have a long journey."

X X X

When Yugi awoke the next morning the room somehow seemed bigger: the window suddenly seemed larger absorbing nearly the entire curve of the shift's bow: the glass cleaner and their lights brighter, highlighting its every detail in a morning blush. For the first time he noticed furred carpets scattered across the floor in specific corners, and how plump the couch was, how fluffed the pillows and how skeletal Kemet ones looked by comparison. Just how ornamental the wood of the adjacent desk and chair were and how intricately carved and polished they looked like a comportment of vines curling around a single slab. How the dark wardrobe across the wall was designed in the same pattern and how it made the massive structure seem to climb higher towards the ceiling. Even the dais holding the bed now seemed higher, its furs and blankets softer and the wooden frame of the headboard and canopy more intricate and the canopy he hadn't noticed before seemed to sway independently like it was perpetually trapped in some non-existent wind.

It wasn't as lavish as the adjoining State Room, or as frivolously decorative as some of the grand parlaces and temples he'd seen. It was practical in its furnishing and finished with only the basic necessities, but each object boasted its glory in a display of power without a word of insult. It fit its owner perfectly.

_Timaeus. _Yugi arose from the blankets half lucid and struggling to chronicle yesterday's chaotic memories. _Timaeus_. And then it came to him with alarming clarity. His heart pounded. His body moved independent of his thought, subconsciously feeling for another body but felt only crisp, still warm sheets.

"Ah good, you're awake." The words were a contralto purr: a low, bass and pleasured echo in his ears.

Yugi followed them reflexively. Timaeus stood in the open doorway Rhebekka on the other side and a tray balanced between them. Yugi nearly jumped. It was first time he'd seen his friend in weeks and he couldn't barely summon the words to speak. Her hair was pinned up, her smock, pristine and polished and flaring at the middle. She gave the Trierarch a look then dropped the plate in his hands. She left without a word.

Timaeus frowned. When the door slammed, he groaned so loudly his posture collapsed under the fatigue. He slouched to the bed and placed the tray on the bedside table. "Iron Lady save me," he muttered an oath and dropped to the bed. "Even my Quartermaster is mad at me."

"Why is she mad at you?" Yugi asked his…his brain paused. His_ husband_ Amun the word sounded so foreign.

"The same reason you are I'd imagine," he said with a small smile and worrisome eyes. "Thinks I married you for politics."

"Didn't you?" Yugi accused with an arched brow.

"I don't consider protection politics." He spun to Yugi: a coy smile and only the barest hint of sharpness in his eyes. So sudden was the action Yugi barely has time to gasp let alone jump. He recognized that smile and remembered how many times he'd damned it to hell for making his heart pound. This time it made his heart stop. Yugi forgot to breathe.

Timaeus didn't move, already so dangerously close all he needed to do was lean forward, pressed their lips together and Yugi would be his. Excitement and anticipation arched his spine in a hesitant shiver. Emotions raged in his mind and his heart pounded at a rapid rate. Would he do it? Did Yugi want him to? Was he ready?

Timaeus shifted and Yugi felt the bed dip. He squeezed his eyes shut and braced himself. And felt only a light peck on the cheek barely touching the corner of his lips.

"You'd best eat and change, sweet one," he purred and slid off the bed to put something from the wardrobe. "It's nearly dawn and we'll be casting off soon. I trust you'll want to say goodbye before we leave."

Yugi barely registered the words, and then nodded.

"I'll be at the helm," Timaeus promised placing something soft in his lap. "You'll want to watch the launch. I think you'll enjoy it." He kissed his forehead then left Yugi alone to change.

Yugi groaned into a collapse. He looked at the garments in his hands: a short-sleeved tunic and shenti with a triangular pattern at the hems and an embroidered belt to go about the waist. Simple but elegant, the way he likes, but styled in the fashion of Kemet's Nomachs. The colors were not Kemetic. It was silver instead of white and the blue stitching was paler than Kemet's beloved lotus blue and interwoven with emerald. Even the belt was emerald green but decorated with blue and silver threads. Atlantian colors, he realized, specifically, Locri's colors.

It struck him then, what their marriage meant. He was the Governor's Consort. He held a position equal to that of Nomach in his county but without the dependence of central government, essentially the co-ruler of a Kingdom within a Kingdom. He'd be co-ruling a new land. He'd need to learn its customs, its rituals, and its laws. He'd need a new wardrobe. He'd need to learn a new language unless Timaeus had made Aramaic mandatory. His Greek was, at best, fractured. He'd need to learn the names of the staff, find out the customs of the household, what his duties would be.

It was all so much to process, but…he paused himself and collected his thoughts. Timaeus had always spoken so fondly of Locri and how loving its people were. It had sounded so beautiful. Timaeus had only been there seven years and considered no other place his home. With a small smile, Yugi wondered, would he be able to call Locri his home as well?

He untied the straps of his wedding frock and let his slip to the floor. He slipped on the clothes and tested them against his skin. Linen. No doubt because they were still in Kemet. What fabrics did Locri favor? He would make sure to ask.

For now all he wanted was to leave the room and get some air. Amun had just emerged over the Nile and already the ship was alive with the sound of crewman preparing for launch. He'd have to move quickly. Fortunately, the state room opened to the deck and the morning sun was not strong enough to blind him.

Soldiers and ship-hands scurried about in the mist, throwing ropes, and hoisting up anchoring stones with only a glance from their Trierarch. Servants lugged barrels of water and mead down into the lower decks with crates of dried meats and fruits. Others carried baskets of linins and herbs to the infirmary; others carried gifts of gold and other treasures to the State Room and shuffled past him with quick bows of respect.

Vaguely, Yugi wondered if the King would be joining them then spotted the beautiful and terrifying _Great Leviathan_ already sailing up the Tatianic creek towards the Manzala. Behind it the wings of _The Fang of Critias _roared to life, black wings catching the wind and ripping free from the dock with a sharp, angry turn. Yugi did not doubt its captain was at the help. Adjacent _The Eye, The Claw of Hermos, _already rigged and ready to sail, waited patiently for the waters to clear. It wouldn't do well to have all four ships in the river at once. Even in Abd it wasn't best to chance the Nile. It would take a day at least to reach the ocean and Yugi could appreciate the early start. _The Eye_ would be the last to leave, he realized curiously. He understood why when he stepped into the light and heard a gasp.

He saw them and shivered. Pas and Mut looked nothing like the stoic Per'a'ah and Royal Wife he's seen yesterday. Their shoulders were slouched with strain, their posture weak and the kohl wasn't thick enough to hide the red-rims around their eyes. He wondered if he should embrace them. He'd never hesitated to before.

"Yugi," Mut said softly, her voice hollow with remorse. "We know you're angry with us now. You have every right to be," She bent down to face him her eyes red-rimmed and still wet. "None of us like the circumstances of this matter, but please, my darling, never forget how much we love you." She embraced him quickly then let go before he could debate whether to embrace her back and he was grateful for it.

"All we wish for is your happiness," Pas placed a hand on his shoulder, gone was the Per-a'ah he respected and replaced was the brother he loved. "Be angry with us if it will help you, we won't hold it against you, be angry with the circumstances, heaven knows it pleases none of us, but don't be angry with your husband. He's a good man, I know him well. I've known since the first time Dartz brought him to Kemet and I've seen every time I've met him sense." His voice was deep and assuring, but it was the honest assurance of a third-party observer, not a loving parent soothing their child's fears with false hopes. "He cares for you, you may not see it now, or you may not want to see it, but he does," Pas said in that same deep tone. "He will take care of you."

Yugi hesitated and looked away. He believed that himself once. Now he wondered if it had been just another one of his many masks. A mask for the sole purpose of getting close to him only to discard once he had what he needed.

"How do you know," he choked out the whisper. "How can you be so sure?"

Both of them blinked then smiled. "I wasn't sure of your sister," Pas admitted in a whisper "And she wasn't sure of me. Father wasn't sure of our mother nor was he yours. Marriage is never a certainty: we don't go to it knowing it will all be well. But we go to it knowing that love can be if you make it so. It can be sudden and all at once or it can build slowly, but if there is even the smallest spark then it can grow." He stopped and waited for Yugi to meet his eyes. His smile was kind. "Is there even a small part of you that believes you could love Timaeus?"

Was there? He wanted to say no under the stupidity it might end this whole thing and he would've have to think about it anymore, but both his mind and logic knew that was a lie. The surface part of his heart wanted so desperately to hope, and the secret part of him, the part he hoped to hide away and make invisible under the belief that he could rid himself of it, once more made itself the center of attention and spoke for him. "Yes," he choked before he could silence it.

Pas touched their foreheads together and smiled. "Then that's more than enough."

Yugi jumped away and gasped, unsure whether to be confused or frightened. "But…how…"

"Yugi," Mut mollified. "You'll be alright. An untested love is not a true love. It's what Isetemkheb used to say to me when Pas and I were fighting and I threatened to runaway then go through with my wedding. Love it like the lotus, she said, it is not in our happiest moments we find the one who holds our heart, but the darkest, because if it is the wrong person then we retreat back to the darkness, but if it is the right then together we find our way back to the light. And she was right, every time I thought this fight would be the end of us, Pas and I always resolved our quarrels with words: it only made us stronger."

"You and Timaeus are the same," Pas said reading Yugi's next question before it formed on his lips. "You are stubborn as the best of us, Yugi," he said with pride, "and you're not afraid to use your power. It is why Timaeus is so fond of you: you don't contain his fire or your own, you embrace it, you match it, you challenge it and build it and it burns brighter. I know you don't believe it now, but please, trust us when we say you'll be alright."

"Because you know Timaeus?" Yugi asked with a snort.

"No, little one," Mut said her voice between a scold and a declaration of love. Then he took his face in her hands and said. "Because we know _you_."

He wanted to tell her he didn't understand, but the warmth in her smile made him hopeful. Mut removed something from her robe and Yugi immediately recognized the jeweled lotus pattern against and Egyptian blue background and the Goddess Mut lock.

"The Atlantian custom is for the bride to carry her hope chest home," she explained and waited for him to take the large Glory Box. "But we asked if we could bring it to you."

He took it graciously and opened the lid with a smile. His hopes and treasures rested peacefully inside: precious memories of his home, life and childhood. His own personal dowry. The glory and hope he brought with him for comfort on days he awoke to a cold marriage bed.

"Maat and Menk also wanted you to have those," she said running her fingers over the folded linens. The linens they'd taken and said they'd discarded. His fingers ran over them. That seemed so long ago. The boy he'd been then was a stranger to him now. His choices and decisions that once held all the finality of Fate now felt insignificant and dreamy.

He replaced the lid, closing his secrets inside. His eyes fell on the patterned design of the lid: a beautiful deep lotus blossom the same Egyptian blue as his eyes. The amethyst jewel at its heart: his favorite jewel. His fingers traced the curls of gold lotus vines, the smooth blossoms reminding him of the blooms he loved so much, and how they flaked his name in his beloved Egyptian blue. _Because things should be memorable…_Timaeus' words returned.

"Thank you," he whispered.

A loud whistle blew followed by the rumbling bellow of "Prepare to cast off."

The elder siblings turned to their youngest and smiled. "It's time we take our leave."

Unable to hold back any longer, Yugi set the box on the floor and wrapped his arms around them in a hug. "I'll miss you," he whispered and for a moment he was a child again, leaving with his mother and not knowing when he'd be back.

"We'll miss you too little one," Mut said with wet eyes and hugged him tight.

Pas rubbed his hair and held his shoulders. "We will see you again," he promised. They pulled away too quickly, and Yugi watched them go with sad eyes. He walked to the edge of the ship, watched as the railing was retracted. The ship locked. Overhead, he watched the sails open with a howl form their Trierarch and his sky became a spiral of green and white wings. The ship gave a sharp jolt and departed the pier with the next gale. The wind at her back and the Nile current pushing her forward, _The Eye_ launched with an elemental roar, Yugi looked below expecting to see the massive oars sticking out and was surprised they were still locked away. The ship flanked right into deeper water, maneuvering itself easily through the narrow banks where a bulkier ship would've struggled.

The excitement of it all made his stomach twist in knots and his heart was torn between exhilaration and gloom. His brother and sister stayed on the dock watching the ship swerve and found the North branch. Yugi couldn't look away: he watched the port shrink, watched the rolling golden desert and the green Nile fade in the distance like distant mirages.

He remembered the last time, mirages had tricked him. The day he sought to change his Fate and prayed to the Gods to make it happen. The day when once upon a time all he wanted was to leave the desert and the delta behind. To explore new places and escape. The Gods were certainly fickle.

His smile was bitter and so was his chuckle.

He got his wish.

**End of Part One**

* * *

And Long Live the Queen ;) At 14 pages this is the longest chapter in the story! And at 28 chapters (my longest so far) this story has just broke 200 pages! WOOHOO! And it's only part one! So yes Part One has come to close...

Notes:

1)And Now that you FINALLY Have Timaeus' AND Yugi's POV I hope i've given you all a lot to think about ;) And seriously, after EVERYTHING did any of you HONESTLY think Timaeus would RAPE Yugi?  
2)I didn't realize until writing this chap but this IS the first time we've ever scene Timaeus shirtless...just his back but still! Any guess on where those scars came from?  
3) Contradictory to popular belief, a lot of ancient cultures had some form of undergarments: NOT loin-cloths. Given Atlantis is a highly advanced society and based on their clothing in the Doma Arc, I gave Timaeus a primitive form of boxers, but the material is more skin tight to be more flexible under those lose body-suits and armor...and I thought it would make Yugi a little more comfortable.  
4)To avoid confusion Yugi is NOT wearing woman's clothing. The wedding outfit he's wearing was taken from the two FEMALE outfits yes, but they were taken apart and remade to be fit for a boy. Men didn't wear ANY form of pants or trousers until 6th century BCE and then strictly for riding. Just wanted to clear that up cause there was some confusion last chapter.  
5)"The One Who Loves Ma'at and Who Detests Evil": Another common title for Sekhmet. Though Priests weren't supposed to marry, there were no recorded vows of chastity in Ancient Egypt given it was a VERY open, sexual society sexually that embraced sexuality as a means of worshipping life and fertility. As such, rape was considered the WORST of all offenses (and SHOULD have been) not only because it was evil but because it was the one act that not only went against Ma'at aka Justice, but defiled the very fabrication of the universe because it did the one thing that was worse than taking a life unjustly (aka murder): FORCING the creation of life. Sekhmet was, above all else, a lover of Ma'at and justice and anyone who defiled it was victim to her wrath and _no one_ escaped Sekhmet's wrath. By stating he gives his word to Sekhmet, Timaeus is basically telling Yugi that if he breaks his word and hurts Yugi in any way then he's subjecting himself to the wrath of Sekhmet, and bear in mind these were the days where you literally invoked the gods through speech, and in Egyptian culture religion and life were interlocked, so he's NOT making this declaration lightly: he's basically stating if he breaks his word then he dies. Doing so in Yugi's native religion simply makes it more powerful and personal for Yugi.  
6) I did the research based on the size and length of both Lake Manzala and the Tanatic branch of the Nile I estimate the distance between Djanet and the ocean is about 60 km not including turns (37.2 m) and Spanish Galleons, which i based the ships on, traveled a max speed of 8 nautical miles (9.2 standard miles) so it would take at least five hours to reach the ocean, probably longer to manuever turns and sandbars so it would take at least half a day's travel to reach the ocean, and that's if they didn't sail at night.  
7) The Hope Chest is appropriately named isn't it? Anyone wanna guess what's inside?

I had SO much fun writing this chapter! i Actually had that beginning Scene with Yugi written MONTHS back when I fist started writing this chapter (back when Timaeus was meant to be a lot more arrogant and Atlantis was actually invading Egypt...oh the story has changed ^^) Thought not much of it changes a LOT of needless fluff got cut and It still got the point: and that's Yugi learning all his current perceptions of his marriage are wrong...though learning that and accepting it are two VERY different things.

I LOVED Writing Timaeus' POV mostly cause everyone was so mad at him last chap (which I won't like kinda annoyed me i mean i KNOW i set it up that way, but again Yugi's an unreliable narrator so you don't get the whole story, but again, and don't get me wrong i feel just as bad for Yugi, hell i'm the one who put him in this position, but i LOVE both these boys and I wanted to show Timaeus isn't exactly happy with the situation either, and i hope this explains some of the reasons why he did everything he did. I have to stay his whole dialogue just POURED out of me in this, even the scene with him and Yugi breaking the ice just screamed to be written!

BUT don't think its all gonna be candy hearts and roses now, these two still have a LONG way to go: Yugi's too tough to give in (and too proud) and Timaeus, like most people, can only be so patient for so long...so they have a LONG way to go, but its a start...after all they're both young and fiery like Pas said...and they ARE stubborn boys ;)

The End scene I'm also very proud of, especially the scene with Mut and Pas (a convo with a wonderful new reviewer, you know you are are ;) really made me think about their role in all this and inspired me to revamp the scene, I also managed to throw Menk and Maat in once last time ;)

Announcement: I can't believe I finished this story in only 8 MONTHS! Could've sworn I started it in August but i checked and it was June. but I'm SO proud of this story! I love this story so much it REALLY helped me out of my writers flunk and helped me learn a lot about myself as a writer and my style...and the best part is its NOT over! this story still has two more parts to go so think of this as Book One of a Trilogy ;) (But they WILL be in the same story)

On that note, I want to plan out Part II more, I got the ideas and the plot down so now I just gotta iron out the details and write out the chapters, BUT I don't want to start updating again until I have at least five chapters written. I happen to like having multiple chapters written in advance and its easier for both you guys and me to update weekly, so since i have nothing major going on in February save for the traditional work, and additional volunteer hours, and no crazy holidays it'll be easier for me to set a schedule, relax and write the chapters while also working on smaller projects. I want to focus on ONE LONG project at a time, and right now for me that's Timaeus, though I'd like to finish the story within the year I know that won't happen, so my goal is to write at least one chapter a week and hopefully start updating again by My 25th birthday.

So thank you all so much for the comments, this is the first story I've truly loved writing and felt inspired to write since Frost King and I'm so happy its managed to affect and influence so many people and hope you'll all return for Part II

Until then, review, reply, comment, critique ask questions and go nuts! i hope i gave you a lot to think about ;)


	29. Chapter XXIX: Crew

Oh My GOD is is FINALLY UP! PART TWO OF TIMAEUS IS FINALLY UP BEFORE THE SIXTH MONTH DEADLINE! (Angel choir) I wish i had a good excuse and could say i had the whole thing written but honestly, combination of holiday burn out, applications, writer's block, and exhaustion just did me in.

But good news i FINALLY got a Full-Time Job (angel choir) and i LOVE it! so that was another thing, at first it worked great cause I was floating a lot and got out on time and my hour lunch break was a huge help with writing but not even 2 months and i got a promotion! (angel choir) which is AWESOME! but sadly, i've been working my tale off prepping and preparing for it and have just been burnt out when i got home, so not a lot of writing time, but those hour-lunch breaks and morning walks were instrumental in just getitng through my writers block and editing, so WOOHOO!

A few quick notes: I have a new Grammar Knight: Araminthe Ispwitch (since i hate the term grammar nazi) who will be editing over the chapters of part one and fixing the name and spelling errors and also making small changes to glossary and end notes and such, which is a HUGE help for me! and i am so happy and grateful cause she loves Kemet just as much as I do :)

On that note, one of the changes is the change in Timaeus' title from Governor to Magister, and Yugi's to Magistrate. I did a lot of research on ancient titles for General, governor and such, since i called Timaeus General a lot in this, thought his official Title is Dragon Knight, but since i am determined to keep Atlantis as FAR away from Greek and Rome as possible (Atlantis the Lost Empire had the right idea) I did some research and decided to go with the idea of City States where the best title was the Roman Magistrate which came from the Latin Magister, or "Master" so Timaeus is literally Master of Locri. Since Magistrate, sounds more Feminine and thus as his consort, this will be Yugi's title, though both are essentially the same position but more on that will follow. Just wanted to clear that up since otherwise this chapter will be very confusing. I've already gone back and made the changes to previous chapters.

**Disclaimer:** Characters belong to Takehashai, though Timaeus is based on the "actual" Timaeus of Locri by Plato. I own the plot.

**Dedication:** There can be only one ^^ For Araminthe Ispwitch, formally the Second Hand of Time, an old friend who loves Kemet as much as I do and worker her tail off to edit the first ten chapters of Timaeus and get this back to me to update within my week deadline! So thanks so much on! This one's all you (glomps!)

**SUMMARY**: in the aftermath of Kemet's civil struggle Psuennes I has become Per-a'ah of a united Kemet, the Hem-netjer have returned to Wasef's House of Amun, and to solidify the unification of Atlantis and Kemet-and to save him from a life of house arrest-former Prince Ujalah, Yugi, is whisked away from the only life and world he's ever known as the Consort and Magistrate of the natorious Timaeus, the most feared and powerful of Atlanris' Trierarch Generals. Heartbroken and torn by uncertainty and mistrust, can Timaeus and Yugi overcome their flaws and forgive eachother and bring love into their marriage? But even if he dares hope for a happy future with Timaeus, can Yugi become the Magistrate Locri needs when no one will give him a chance?

Now without further ado...

* * *

**Part Two**

_Chapter XXIX: Crew_

Yugi watched Djanet fade like a mirage on the water. More than once, its image drifted so close, he dared imagine that he could reach for it. Grasp it. Hold it in his arms and never let it go. Only to watch it vanish like smoke in his hands.

_The Eye _navigated slowly along the Tanitic bank and had been for the better part of the morning. Despite _wepet_, the branches were shallow compared to the deeper river and much more twisted and narrow. Timaeus had warned him it would be late evening by the time she reached the sea. That had been hours ago and Yugi had spent most of that time watching his former home fade away. How many times had he imagined this as a child, he wondered? Sailing down the Nile and across the endless sea on a grand ship just like this one? Exploring the many different lands outside Kemet and leaving the endless desert he'd known his whole life without a second glance?

Now all he thought of was home: he thought of the golden palace he'd grown up in and the Great House where his father held rituals and his mother danced bare-chested and draped in _repet _beads. Felt the cool waters of the Sacred Pools he'd swam in and watched lotuses burst through the mirror of the pond like stars through the darkness of the night. Remembered the hot desert sands and massive pylons where his brothers had chased him and he chased ibises with the promise of treats. His chest filled with a sudden, unbearable ache. By midday, his spirit felt thin and stretched, consumed by a terrible longing: the world was unfamiliar under the weight of memories.

Eventually, he knew he'd have to stop: find Timaeus who was most likely at the helm, learn what his new position entitled, and begin his education for the new life Fate had given him, and eventually accept it. For now, however, he wanted to stare at his childhood home and mourn the death of his former life. It was all he could do to keep from breaking down all over again. Cowers and snivels were for babies and he was not some simpering whelp. He was a man now, and a Prince of Kemet, and—though he was still bitter to admit it—married and soon to be the Magistrate of Locri.

With an explosive sigh, Yugi hoisted himself up and released all his frustration and grief in a single repressed breath. Djanet pleaded for one last look before the dalles spun the ship around the wide band and vanished behind a tall gorge infested with thick vegetation. Against his better will, Yugi squared his shoulders and granted its request. He watched his father's golden city—now his brother's—slip into the shadows and finally vanish behind the tall cliffs. With its disappearance, the link snapped. A sigh of exhausting relief and heartbroken disappointment exploded from his lips and with all the grief, it upended. His knees faltered and his shoulders slumped from the impact, but once all of it had left him, it brought on another emotion that had become both a foreign stranger and a comforting friend to him these last weeks: acceptance. It was a bizarre feeling: terrifyingly new yet oddly familiar, and brought an ache in his heart that was both tearful yet gentle; and then it was gone, and all that remained was the jittering complexities of excitement.

With another tranquil sigh, he spun away from the railing, grateful Timaeus had left him alone to grieve. Perhaps now he could move on and begin again. It certainly wasn't how he imagined his first trip out of Egypt, or how he imagined his… marriage. The word was still uncertain on his tongue, but he was here and he was determined to make the most of it. On his first voyage, he had been a guest on this ship: a ward under the charge of the Trierarch. Now he was the Trierarch's Consort: a second commander, a Lord, a co-Trierarch. The new title brought him little comfort.

He surveyed his new surroundings with a timid scrutiny. The upper deck that had felt claustrophobically tight just that morning now felt overwhelmingly vast. Rowing was useless in the Delta branches: Yugi estimated the whole crew was on deck and the spray of soldiers and riggers glaring at him did little to aid his scrambling stomach. He pretended not to notice them and started towards the helm with a proud nose arched high—

—And was casually thrown aside by a powerful swipe of a meaty arm. Yugi crashed into the side of the ship and barely caught himself before stumbling. The large, brawly man it belonged to didn't even stop to look at him. "Watch it, boy!" The harsh shove was followed by a harsher growl, laced with disgust and forced Aramaic. Richly tanned skin of possibly Babylonian descent, illuminated the icy blue sharpness of his small eyes, crooked nose, and tight lips. He wore both his uniform and sun-yellow hair perfectly cropped in a military style, except for two jaded sideburns.

Snickers and some taunts followed and Yugi's eyes narrowed, but he merely brushed his tunic and continued his way, ignoring the man as he went. He didn't fail to notice the crew grouping together in a small gossiping band, whispering in harsh consonantal drawls, much cruder than his native Kemetic. Glaring eyes fixated on him with no effort to conceal their dislike.

Yugi stopped and caught a sandy blond staring, his own eyes sharpening. Seeing he'd been caught, the man immediately nudged his comrades. They silenced immediately and looked away. Yugi's expression did not change and he kept walking. The trek across the ship had never been this long, but Yugi resisted the urge to quicken his pace. He _refused_ to fuel any further gossip.

The steps to the helm came mercifully into view and Yugi expelled his relief through his nose. Then released a gasp that morphed into a scream when a sharp pain that struck his ankle sent him spiraling. He hit the deck with a loud thud; _The Eye_'s oaken hull was boastfully strong and an explosion of laughter quickly followed.

The loudest and most obnoxious sound came from a tall, lanky youth with sun-tanned olive skin and a wild mane of black hair artfully tied into a ponytail. He stood with a swagger and threw his head back, revealing a face full of sharp angles and a proud chin that did nothing to hide his amusement. Ice green eyes glittered with malice when they looked down at him and Yugi knew in an instant that his stumble was not an accident.

Yugi gave a hearty chuckle of his own—the sheer amusement of the sound confused many to silence. Then Yugi stood and said darkly, "Was that supposed to be humorous?" he spoke, in his best and sharpest _Canaanite_ accent. Their eyes turned to him, stunned and disappointed. They hadn't expected a response, let alone one in their common tongue. Smug, Yugi pretended to straighten his clothes, but his eyes were on the dark-haired soldier. Taking note of the arrogant way he carried himself and his position in front of a small band flocked on either side by fellow soldiers, it was evident he was no simple soldier. And nor were his fellow members.

The crowd suddenly closed in like a massive hive of bees—their dislike heightened by the contrasting pastels and bright primaries of their complexions. In the lead group, there was a boy with the palest skin and hair Yugi had ever seen, and eyes so dark they looked black. Another, who Yugi recognized as the blond he'd caught staring, possessed a tan so rich he could've been a Kemetic native if not for his contradicting sandy-colored hair and shadowy mauve eyes. The muscular man who tripped him lumbered in the back, his beady eyes so shadowed and dark, they looked gray. The rest moved forward, expressions foreboding, and formed a half-circle around their leader. They loomed over him like a mismatched forest of bizarre colors and shades, some taller than even Timaeus. He was so used to the dark browns, golds, and blacks of his native Kemet that these creatures suddenly seemed ethereal and terrible; like a child who had never seen colors was suddenly trapped in an abstract painting crafted by the giant hands of a God.

But Yugi fought down the tremble that threatened to curl his spine. Instead, he narrowed his eyes, straightened his lips, and said in his sharpest, cruelest voice, "I expected _Locrian_ soldiers to be better trained." The words cut like glass and the crowd's proud resolve cracked: they stumbled back, stunned by the blunt attack—others sharpened their anger further. His assailant's mask in particular twisted into a scowl of rage, both at being denied his victory and at Yugi's blunt dismissal.

Yugi resisted a smirk and spun to continue on his way; driving the lesson home, he added, "I'll be sure to speak to Timaeus about that."

"_Timaeus_." The word was a retort so sharp and poisonous it was like a cobra bite. "Not your _husband_."

Yugi froze mid-step and nearly stumbled. He collected himself and retorted, "What I call the Trierarch is of no concern to you." Again, he hadn't said it, and it marred the sharpness of the command. "Now return to your post and get out of my way!"

All around him, the crew's eyes flickered bright with danger, but none more clearly than his assailant's: cheeks blotched with fury, eyes electrified with rage, and a murderous snarl twisted in his lips. Immediately, Yugi felt the instinct to flee, but his feet remained proudly rooted. He didn't see the hand that shot forward until the fingers wrapped cruelly tight around his collar. A hard slam sent him into the heavy mast. His spine cracked and his lungs constricted—all breath in his body forced out in a single painful gasp. The moment of weakness awakened all his senses and his hands instinctively clawed at his captor's, his feet kicked out in furious survival and desperate rage. An echo of cheers thundered in his ears and the soldiers crowded together in a mismatched, multi-colored forest.

"Do. Not. Tell _me _what to do." The angry fingers tightened their curl with each spitting hiss. At this range, Yugi could see every arch and curve of the man's handsome face. Or it would've been, if not for the hateful scowl and the arrogant rage electrifying his green eyes with all the chaotic fury of the primeval ocean. "You will never be our Magistrate. And _don't _pretend you're one of us either. I don't know what tricks you used to worm your way into the Trierarch's bed, but as far as I'm concerned, you're nothing but his cabin whore!"

_That _stung. Each word bit like a repetitive scorpion sting and the sheer volume drowned the bleeding cacophony of laughter, shouts, cheers, and slurs in suffocating silence. It hurt. To know what they thought of him. _Truly _thought. He'd always known it was, but rumor and reality were different beasts and one clearly had a harsher bite. A small part of him hoped that it changed, but clearly it hadn't. For a single moment, that _hurt_—and then it was gone. Replaced by an affronted, insulted, all-consuming outrage. One that boiled and bubbled until it could no longer be contained.

Yugi threw his head back and laughed. "Oh, so I'm_ his_ whore, am I?"

The silence of the crowd was more rewarding than any enraged scream. Feeling his assailant's shock relax his grip, Yugi freed himself with a well-aimed knee to the man's torso. His face contorted with triumph and his retorts doubly sharpened. "I wasn't the one who practically _begged_ the Per-A'Ah and his Royal Wife for my hand, I wasn't the one who listed every possible reason as to why he should have me, and I wasn't the one who agreed to that farce of a contract signing!" They came out more bitter than he meant, but it wasn't the soldiers it was directed at. Nor was it Timaeus.

He composed himself before he spoke again. "But I accept it. I didn't choose him. _He_ chose _me_! I am just as angered by this mess as all of you are, but I accept it. I'm not happy about it, but I'm not going to dwell on it either." He turned to them all with sharp eyes. "I suggest all of you do the same."

He was about to walk away when he heard another low hiss. "This… mess…" His assailant coughed a loud hiss from the floor before rising. Only then did Yugi see the mist hazing his eyes.

"Why…" That wasn't from the soldier who attacked him. It was softer, lower, and raspier. Yugi spun towards the sound, then it shouted, "Do you not realize how lucky you are?!" Yugi recognized him immediately by his long mane of white hair and impossibly pale skin. "You are nothing but a spoiled child! You don't deserve him! So why!?" He yanked at his hair and shook violently. With his long hair and blue uniform, Yugi could've mistaken him for a professional mourner. "Why would he choose _you_ over _her_?!" he spat with an anger so anguished, it was unable to mask the pain.

"What's going—" Yugi's curiosity was cut off by an all-too-familiar voice that commanded all of the ship to its attention. Rhebekka stood with her hair down and in a dress that covered nearly all of her skin, her face a mask of surprise—then it twisted with rage and she pounced.

"Tartarus damn you!" She shot forward, putting herself between Yugi and the green-eyed sailor who attacked him and with a single swipe—quick and brutal—rapped him across the face like one would a disobedient dog, her wild hair blazing around her like the mane of a territorial lion. "Have you no sense? No shame?!" she hissed in a knife-edged whisper with all the harsh disappointment of a strict teacher, and a rage that rivaled the Trierarch's. "Have you no idea what you've done? Who you've wronged?!"

"He's Kemet's peace offering," the sandy-haired solider hissed, blunt and dismissive. "Nothing more, nothing less." His comrades nodded in agreement.

Yugi lunged forward before Rhebekka could stop him. He shot past the fallen soldier and shoved through the crowd with an angry swipe of his arms. The crowd parted in shock and the sandy-haired youth sat exposed before him. All arrogance was gone from his face and all snarkiness silenced.

"You know _nothing_, you insolent dog," Yugi snapped dangerously low and not missing a beat. "Had you, you'd never have spoken to your superiors in such a brazen manner." There was no hesitance in the plural. The words were directed at the sandy-haired boy, but loud enough for the entire crew to feel their force. Good, Yugi thought, let them be reminded of their place. He may not have chosen Timaeus' side, but it was his, regardless. "You know nothing about the Trierarch and less about me! I'm—"

He paused and waited for the brat to retreat, but instead of looking defeated or even humbled, he—and his crew—looked angrier. Suddenly, they started moving closer, circling, like he was a rogue beast they were trying to trap.

Rhebekka shot forward and he found himself behind the curtain of her blond hair, her electrified green eyes dulled to their intelligent emerald and she transfixed them with a glare so demanding and harsh, even the harshest of them flinched. Then she smiled, and they all heard why.

"_He _is _my_ Consort, and _she _is _your_ Quartermaster." The answer came slow, harsh, and knife-edged. Silence, interrupted only by all-too-familiar clicking of steady, metal boots, followed.

The crew's expressions dropped to desperation and fear. Like children caught stealing desserts before dinner. It brought Yugi no satisfaction when Timaeus marched past Rhebekka and himself, and caught only a glimpse of his face.

It burned his pride to admit to it, but he'd grown quite accustomed to reading Timaeus' expressions beyond their labels: the strong, honorable General who'd lay down his life to serve his King and country, the Guardian who offered him protection whether Yugi wished it or not, the Man whose boyish mischief and kind heart he caught in glimpses, and the eccentric Rogue he'd soon have to call his husband; the one whose bondage promised him a marriage fresh and filled with passions unrivaled, incisive quarrels and fights for dominance, but also gentle lulls and much desires secured—if Yugi only accepted him—and even now, set his blood aflame.

This was none of them.

_This_ was the Trierarch.

And the Trierarch was angry.

X X X

Timaeus was furious.

Even before he caught the scene from the hull, irritation burned in his gut when first, his Watch Keeper hadn't come back, then his Navigator failed to take the helm, and finally, his Boatswain was late with the morning report. He had little patience for unpunctuality and they knew it. That anger was a festering spark compared to his rage now.

The crew's gazes dropped to their feet. Mouths once annoyingly vocal became deathly silent. Faces that once radiated with arrogance now looked like bullying children caught in the act. Timaeus should've throttled them for that alone. Even more, he wanted to throttle himself. He exhaled and cursed his own foolish tolerance. Even _he_ never suspected his men capable of such brazen stupidity. It was a mistake he would not make again.

"Curious," he swooped into the clearing with all the grace of an eagle and the sinister intentions of a vulture. "How you all lower your eyes to me, but consider my Consort not worthy of such respect." The words rolled sickeningly sweet off his tongue. Only Yugi and Rhebekka did not fight the urge to flinch. "Curiouser, that you were all so outspoken before, but now suddenly, you're quiet?" he asked in the same sinisterly sweet tone. "_Well?_" His voice boomed, clear and caustic.

He marched through the crows and they wisely parted. He stopped and the whole ship felt the weight of his pause. "I could almost consider it a miscommunication…" His sharp eyes fell on Otogi still frozen on the floor, not even daring to shake. "Or a lack of discipline…" His narrow lips curled and a smile slit his face. Ice-green eyes brightened with fear. "Certainly _my_ men are above something as insignificantly stupid as petty jealousy…" he said in a low, whispering hiss, laced with the same enthralling sweetness and harsh with bitter sarcasm.

Then he spun to them all and announced with a grand baritone, "Gentlemen, do you find my command unreasonable?" he asked in the same tone: patronizing and almost hurt. "Have I not been an affective commander? Have I not been a merciful Trierarch?" He sounded wounded by the constant disappointments, but the sharp arch of his brow and the harsh line of his mouth held no such sympathy. "I just cannot possibly fathom why my entire fleet would _directly_ and _deliberately _disobey me."

"Trierarch…" Only one of them spoke: a soft, scratchy apology. Timaeus spun and landed a savage blow that landed mere inches from the sandy-haired soldier's left side so quick and sudden, he didn't even have time to scream. The world remained frozen in that position for a long moment. The rippling force of the blow in the air, the chilling bite creeping up their spines, and the sheer impact when it struck… even Yugi felt it from the other side of the hull.

Timaeus pulled his fist away and glared at the angry indent left in _The Eye's_ tough oaken rail. "Did I give you permission to speak, Malik?" he commanded, harsh and biting. The pale Shipwright didn't even try and stop his shaking.

"I could almost blame a lack of discipline." Timaeus shook his head condescendingly. Then he turned to the rest of the ringleaders of this little scuffle—his expression dark and his eyes burning. "Which, as my boatswain, would be _your_ domain. Correct, Otogi?"

The green-eyed soldier straightened under Timaeus' scrutinizing gaze. Timaeus' cruel smile glittered with murderous delight, vaguely mimicking a serpent teasing, releasing its meal just before it bore its fangs. Without breaking his stride, Timaeus dropped and delivered a sharp kick to the man's calves in a single spin that left him standing. Otogi reeled with a scream and hit the hull with a thud so loud, it echoed. Pride forced him back up, but his reward was a heavy step on his ribs. The sound he released was a strangled morph of a hiss and a cry.

"Which means I've clearly been too _lenient_ with you," Timaeus said with far more weight than the casual scolding his tone implied. There was no mercy in his eyes. He removed his foot and stepped over the fallen soldier and directed his gaze skyward. The following silence was more dreadful than the harshest scolding.

"Raphael?" he said without turning to face the man. The deadly dysphemism was enough to make the broad man, a good foot taller than the Trierarch, flinch. He wisely said nothing.

"When I asked you if anything on the deck demanded my attention, why did you lie to me?" Timaeus still didn't look at him.

Spotlighted, the man froze. His only response was jumbled intakes of air. "There was…nothing of immediate importance," he finally answered, but lacked any confidence.

Timaeus shot like a green flash. The strike hit Raphael just under the ribs with such force that his eyes popped and air exploded out of him. The blow was so fast no one remembered seeing it. Raphael doubled over in a voiceless scream.

Timaeus' face contorted in a murderous glare, and he shouted, "_You_ did not think _my_ crew _harassing_ my _consort_ was of immediate importance?! Was worthy of my knowledge?! Are you not my Watch Keeper? Are you not responsible for the safety of _everyone_ on _my_ ship? And you have the _audacity_ to judge what is important enough to warrant _my _attention!?"

The Watch Keeper's only rebuttal was a wet, choking gasp.

Timaeus looked away with a disgusted snort. His gaze then fixated on the pale-haired boy, the only tormentor still left unscratched. "Even, you, Ryou." He shook his head in disgust. "My own navigator."

The pale boy said nothing; the harsh, disappointed glare from his Trierarch was all it took to send him shaking to his knees.

"I thought I had chosen men I could trust," Timaeus started through the crowd of soldiers, the way opening with his immediate step. "Men I thought could stand at my side, and yet…" His hand curled around the hilt of his sword. His voice dangerously lowered. "Not once," he drew it so fast, the crew scrambled to avoid its bite. "Not _twice._" He slashed it through the air. A scream followed, leaving only a trail of small hairs and fabric pieces in its wake.

"But _thrice_ you have displeased me! _THRICE!_ Was Rex and Haga's warning not enough? Was your shame on the shores of Kemet not enough?! And yet you _continue_ to shame yourselves and your Trierarch!" The words crackled like a raging fire. Then his eyes were shadowed and his voice turned dark. "Have I not made it clear what is to become of those who dishonor me?"

The entire ship dropped to its knees—low, full-body bows that begged for clemency and silently prayed for forgiveness.

Yugi felt a dark satisfaction at the scene. He dared to look up and saw in Timaeus, not the Trierarch, but hollowed victory and torn bitterness. He recognized the Emerald warrior who saved him the day they'd met. Whose honor was uncompromised and whose justice was harsh, even if it tore his heart to pieces to carry it out. This was his Shadow.

Immediately, Yugi understood why these men respect him: it wasn't just his honor, or the fierceness of his tongue or the sharpness of his blade—it was also a pure, ruthless strength that Yugi could never hope to match.

"Now then," Timaeus sheathed his sword. "Since it seems all of you gentlemen are in need of a fresh lesson, you can all spend the rest of the evening swabbing the decks. I will be attending to my spouse, and I want my entire ship spotless when I get back. Let this be a lesson to those stupid enough to disobey me. Any further offenders will spend the rest of the journey home in the brigs, and anyone stupid enough to commit a third transgression…" A sinister smile slit his face and an impish gleam electrified his green eye, and reflected an eerie, devilish glow in the red slit of his left. "Well, he can just _swim_ to Atlantis with a nice pair of shackles around his feet."

He let the threat linger, then spun, gaze shifting past Rhebekka and settling on Yugi. He paused, spotlighted and unprepared for it, but then his eyes hardened with no hint of apology. There was no anger in Timaeus' eyes. With an amused shake of the head, he sighed, "What am I to do with you?"

"Rhebekka," he asked the Quartermaster, but his eyes were on Yugi. "Take my husband back to our chambers. I'll deal with him shortly. Then you are to take the helm until further notice, since my Sailing Master seems preoccupied," he said, fixating his harsh stare on Ryou.

Yugi stared at him, shocked. His mouth was open, ready to protest, but Rhebekka clasped his hands and silenced him with a quick, charming, "Of course!" It was said with a guileful curtsey and all the charm of a favored servant. Yugi scowled, but she took Yugi's arm and tugged him back to the forecastle before he could protest.

"Oh, and before I forget," she stopped suddenly and paused sweetly. "You gentlemen best be extra careful on the journey home. It seems I was unable to restock the poppy…" she explained just as sweet, but with a sinister smile that Timaeus swore was fanged. "So there is nothing to dull the pain." With that, she tugged a reluctant Yugi away.

Timaeus watched them leave. He waited until Rhebekka had Yugi safely behind closed doors before turning back to his men. They remained bowing, waiting for an official dismissal. He entered the throng with slow steps, then settled on his Second, Third and Fourth Mates. Ryou was still shaking, but it wasn't from fear.

"You have something to say to me, Sailing Master?" The command was in no way rhetoric. "Well? Speak! What about my command offends you so?"

Spotlighted by the address, he watched Ryou pause to gather his thoughts. He didn't meet Timaeus' eye, but his voice rang with pained confusion. "Please, Trierarch. We meant no disrespect towards you or her, but… that boy…" From the restrained way he said it, it was clear Ryou had another title in mind for him.

"That _boy _is my consort, and as of now, your Magistrate," Timaeus snapped, but restrained his anger enough to let him continue.

Ryou flinched under the words, but when the Trierarch did not elaborate further, he continued. "None of us understand…why him? Why would you resign yourself to a political union when…?" Ryou stopped and corrected his question. "Why him when _she_ has been waiting?"

"Is _that_ what this nonsense was about?" Their heads shot up. His disgruntled annoyance clearly wasn't the answer they expected. Or wanted. "I thought I trained you better than to humor the mindless stupidity of petty rumors." He shook his head. "The fact that I have to _repeat_ myself on the issue is nothing less but staggering." He straightened and their heads dropped once more. He cared nothing for their pained looks of devastation. Nor did he have any desire to tap-dance around their egos. "Banish those foolish thoughts from your minds, men. His Majesty will _never_ disinherit our Princess, nor would I allow him to. Locri is the only place I will ever claim. Remember that and don't ever let me hear such nonsense again."

It wasn't what they meant. The worst was, _he_ knew it. He knew exactly how they all hoped—_prayed—_that he would become their king. He knew it, and yet, he'd said nothing of it. Refused to even _humor_ the idea and spare their blind faith and the absolute certainty of their egos. He hadn't even said her name and that cut was deeper than all the rest.

"Whether you gentlemen approve of my choice is irrelevant. The fact that you think you have any opinion on my personal decisions is nothing short of arrogance, and I will have none of it," Timaeus snapped. "Yugi _is_ my consort now, and as such, he _will_ be granted the same rank and respect given to the Quartermaster and myself. I expect you _all _to be on your _best_ behavior."

With that ruthless promise, he was gone.

* * *

One annoyance about having a story that takes place in the past is it _really_ limits who you can and cannot use for secondary roles in a story ^^' Especially when it comes to Timaeus' crew since those guys were going to be, well, jerks for much of the beginning but evolve as they go. So I REALLY had to think about who I could and couldn't use, and it didn't help I already had roles lined up for four of my fav cast members. So after a LOT of research and a lot of headaches I finally narrowed it down. I also did a LOT of research on ship roles an rankings including merchant ships, modern and ancient naval ships and pirate ships so I broke down the MAIN roles (and was a tad mad at myself to realize I have Rhebekka three of them: quartermaster, surgeon and Cook, and was kinda kicking myself for adding another character I have plans for since it would've screwed up continuity, but after I finally manage to narrow it down, so here's some clarification:

**Glossary of Ship Terms:**

Order of Rank on Ship: Trierarch (Captain) Quartermaster (First Mate) Sailing Master (Second Mate) Boatswain Watch Keeper (Third Mate)* Shipwright

Sailing Master — Ship's navigator and in charge of sailing the ship, directing the ship's course, and looking after the captain's maps and navigational equipment, often times the one steering the ship from the helm. Third-in-command under the Quartermaster (Ryou)

Boatswain — Officer in charge of the ship's maintenance and supplies; responsible for inspecting ships, sailings, riggings equipment, distributing ship's rations on long trips, and tallying the amount of cargo and supplies and reporting back to captain. Supervises and responsible for rigging of the ship each morning and in charge of all deck activities including handling sails and anchor. Fourth-in-command on Merchant ships, but the one the crew answers to after the Quartermaster and Trierarch (Otogi)

Watch Keeper — Ships' Safety officer and look-out and responsible for the safety of all the crew members and officers on board the ship and responsible for all of the ships safety and emergency equipment, also acts as peacekeeper on ship. Head of Ship's Watch and organizes watch patrols at night and chooses who will stand watch. Fifth-in-command under Quartermaster and Boatswain. *Usually Watch Keeper is Fourth-in command but depending on the rank and ship this changes, on a merchant ship their rank is under the boatswain. (Raphael)

Shipwright — Ship's carpenter, traditionally someone who designs, build and repairs ships, but in this case also the ship's carpenter responsible for repairing any and all damage done to a ship while it's at sea so it can continue to sail. Responsible for all woodwork on ship: hull, mast(s) spars etc. Though a very important officer, Shipwrights didn't necessarily have a rank but serves directly under Boatswain (Malik)

Note on Travel times: I did a LOT of research for this for accuracy purposes. You have NO idea how hard it was trying to estimate and get the accurate river lengths from 3000 years and factoring in water depths, silt deposits etc. etc. Especially because the modern Tanitic branch has silted over in Egypt but I estimated the distance from Djanet (now Tanis) to Lake Manzala (Tanis Lake in the past which I, OF COURSE, didn't find out about until AFTER I finished part one (twitch)) is about the same (in other words, Tanitic river is the same width as Lake Manzala, by my estimate about 32 miles (51.5 km and 27.8 nautical miles.)

Little recap: the Atlantian ships are loosely based off Spanish Galleons in structure but their make, supplies and such are based on ancient ships so I based their speed on Spanish Galleons which travel as a speed of 8 nautical miles (9 mph) max. Thus, it would take approximately 7 hours to go from Djanet to the Mediterranean Sea using _The Eye of Timaeus_ however, factoring rigging time, sail time the time it takes to leave the harbor and that they'll be going slower to maneuver the twists and turns of the river, and an average speed of 6 knots, and since the wind and current aren't factors since Lower Egypt is all downhill and flows Northward, and _The Eye_ was the last to leave, I estimate the trip to the ocean will take the better part of a full day (phew!) No idea how long it's gonna take once they hit open ocean though, the Mediterranean being mostly landlocked screws up the wind and current direction so I definitely need to research to keep it accurate but my best estimation is even with rowing, and the wind on their side it would still take _The Eye_ twenty days to a month of travel (which worked for me since I originally intended to give the trip two weeks in Kemet time (a week being ten days) to give Timaeus and Yugi time to work through their issues before arriving so, works out for me either way, but you know how I am with accuracy so no promises.

**Grammar Knight's Additional Note/s:  
**

Tanitic bank/branch/river – one of the seven distributaries/rivers that split off from the Nile Delta. No longer existing today.

_wepet_ – Ancient Egyptian culture was closely tied to the Nile River, and it appears their New Year corresponded with its annual flood. The Egyptian New Year was predicted when Sirius—the brightest star in the night sky—first became visible after a 70-day absence, which typically occurred in mid-July just before the annual inundation of the Nile River, which helped ensure that farmlands remained fertile for the coming year. Egyptians celebrated this new beginning with a festival known as "Wepet Renpet", which means "opening of the year." The New Year was seen as a time of rebirth and rejuvenation, and it was honored with feasts and special religious rites.

dalles - the rapids of a river that runs between the steep precipices of a gorge or narrow valley.

_**Next Time:**__** The **_**Eye of Timaeus _has_ _ser sail. Yugi's new life is off to a rocky start. H and Rhebekka exchange some words and Yugi learns some _surprising _new twists about what that role entitles. And Timaeus shares some thoughts about his new consort..._**

**_NEXT UPDATE:_**_ Updates will be bi-weekly until further notice (due to creative and time constraints) but will hopefully return to weekly updates by the end of July. Also updates will be on Saturday since it seems to be the day that works best for everyone, so next update will be Saturday July 10th. _

**HAPPY 4TH! As always, read, review, comment, critique, ask questions and go nuts!  
**


	30. Chapter XXX: Arrangements

This one was an absolute BITCH! It took over a month to write and then i ended up rewritting the entire damn thing and thanks to my new job it took like three weeks to do it! But its done and i love it SO much better now :)

I planned on updating this morning but life got in the way and decided to be a real bitch. but what can you do?

Anyway

**Disclaimer: **You know the drill, all i own is the plot

**Dedications: **This one's for Val who was the only reason i got through the revising process with this chapter (seriously i lost count how many it was!) and once again to Armamitha Ispwich for her Grammar checking!

As always read, review, reply, comment, critique, ask questions, name your theories and go nuts!

* * *

_Chapter XXX: Arrangements_

"Oh, friend, stop scowling," Rhebekka chided with a twinkle in her laugh. "There are worse things than being sent to your room."

Like a child sent to bed without his supper, Yugi wanted to scream. It was _humiliating_.

"I will not be treated like some errant child!" Yugi twisted once the doors shut behind him, angry fingers writhing, desperate to rip something.

"And what did you expect?" Rhebekka retorted with a bored shrug of her shoulders. "You won't win any honors going about raging and snapping as you do."

Yugi whirled on her, stunned and cold with rage.

"Don't look at me like that," Rhebekka snapped, eyes narrowing. "Had Timaeus not interfered, they would've attacked you. Blindly, too. What would you have done then? Did you intend to fight them off with more sharp words and petty snaps to save your pride?" she chided with a bored, gentle patience.

"I would've handled it had he not interfered!" Yugi claimed defensively. "They'll think less of me now!"

"And what damned difference does that make?!" Rhebekka roared to her feet. The emerald pools of her eyes burned with a wisdom well beyond her years and hardened from a rough life at sea. "You became our Master and we your subjects the moment you married our Trierarch. It was _you_ the Trierarch chose, and _you _the men must impress, not the other way around. They _know_ that, whether it pleases them or not."

Yugi responded with a stubborn snort. Rhebekka exhaled a slow sharp breath and gave his shoulder a light squeeze.

"You're a brave lad, Yugi, and a strong one. But there's a time and place for these things. Timaeus is the Trierarch, you are his Consort. It is _he_ who keeps everyone in line. You, like me, maintain order and take care of everyone. It is your right to chastise them for their insolence, but not to bully them to your will with insults."

An argument formed on Yugi's lips but all that came out was an aggravated huff. He hated that she was right, but what else could he have done? He was supposed to be the Trierarch's consort yet he couldn't even command his own soldiers to respect him. It didn't sit right with him having men who only obeyed him because they were forced to. _Who_ Timaeus married affected them, as well—Yugi respected that. More so, he'd seen how Timaeus commanded them: they respected him not out of fear, but loyalty. They were just smart enough _to_ fear him. It was a power Yugi could never hope to wield on his own. Worse, he thought with a sense of dread, how was he to assist governing a nation when he couldn't even get the ship-hands to obey him?

"They hate me Rhebekka," Yugi whispered, his body heavy. "They hate me because they think I'm something I'm not!" he retorted with a snort. "It was Timaeus who wanted it, not me!" His whirled away from her, fingers wringing to fists and his words cold and hard with anger. "He didn't even ask me! Just made an offer for my hand and that was it!" He clenched a raised wrist, his fingers trailing delicately over the _shabka_ band—the only evidence that he belonged to another. The rage in his voice was so profound, Rhebekka almost missed the undertone it was meant to cover until he whispered. "He didn't even ask me."

"Perhaps," Rhebekka said evenly. "In all honesty, I was angrier he'd waited to tell me than the way it was done, but I don't blame you for being angry. However, if you wanted more say in your wedding, perhaps you should've taken part rather than isolating yourself in your quarters, stupidly thinking it would get you out of a marriage."

Yugi spun to her, shocked. She arched a brow of disbelieving disapproval. "He told me nothing if that's what you think." Her tone was flat, her eyes even. "He forgets who I am if he thinks I didn't know he'd wed you, soon as the sermon ended. It was all your city was talking about. He's as daft as you were if he thought I wouldn't find out."

Yugi said nothing, his face scrunched, flushed pink with the scowl of a bruised ego. The shameful part was that he _had _thought that at the time. Remembering each spiteful tantrum, he understood his sister's frustration and his fiancé's dejected silence. Time he could've spent planning things with his sister, or courting with Timaeus, or even talking to Pas about details… but instead, he'd chosen a pitying isolation. He was ashamed of that now. They had liked the situation even less than him and his tantrums hadn't helped. Part of him wished to pretend he'd never been so childishly stupid, but the other felt cheated and craved vindication.

Yugi groaned in defeat and Rhebekka favored her friend with a comforting smile. "It matters not now—you're both married, like it or not—but be easy, my friend. I know him well and your Lady Sister was not wrong: 'tis a good match, and for what it's worth, I'm glad he married you," she giggled with warm, playful eyes and a beamish smile. "You both deserve a marriage that's as passionate as well as advantageous."

Yugi responded with a snort of derision. "You're wrong, Rhebekka," he retorted dryly. "It wasn't passion that made him marry me, it was duty."

"I won't believe it!" Rhebekka interrupted, with such commanding finality that Yugi jumped. She whirled to him and clasped his hands in hers, giggling—though her eyes remained triumphantly stern. "Trust me, Yugi. I may not have known him long, but I know him better than most. I've seen the way he smiles at you, the way he teases you… and though I don't like the way of it, I know him well enough that he didn't marry you just to save you." She squeezed his hands comfortingly. "He cares for you, Yugi. You may not see it, you may not _want _to see it, but I do. If he wanted a simple marriage out of duty between friends, he'd have married the princess," her tone sharpened with honesty. "But he didn't. He married you. _He chose you, _and _only _you," she finished with a profound truth ringing in her words.

Timaeus was his alone—even Yugi's pride couldn't deny how tempting that fact was. He was loyal. And honorable. He wouldn't shun Yugi away and busy his time with whores. Yugi remembered the harems that flocked his father's court when he was a child. He'd seen the mistresses and concubines foreign kings had flaunted alongside their daughters and even their wives—their stone faces bewilderingly contrasting the bright smiles and confident eyes of the Per-A'Ah's Royal Wife and those of his own mother. He was too young to understand the truth then. Timaeus wasn't like that. He would care for him, honor him, have only Yugi in his bed—and only if he allowed it, Yugi reminded himself. And not for the first time, he wondered again, if he made Timaeus his lover, would he protect him? Or would that be another mask for behind closed doors?

"I never asked for this," Yugi said stubbornly.

"None of us are here for asking," Rhebekka said flatly. Yugi felt ashamed.

She took his hands again and bid him to lift his face. Her eyes softened. "You loved him once, and though I know you won't admit to it, I know you love him still. Your trust had been wounded and that has made you angry. Aye, you hurt each other." She squeezed his hands, her words between a demand and a plea. "Speak with your husband. Let him explain. Let him be your friend again. Forgive each other."

Yugi said nothing and looked away. He didn't want to see her expression. She sounded so much like his sister that, for an instance, Yugi hated her. His old hopeful self wanted so much to believe her, but anger festered bitterly in his chest and it wasn't ready to unclench its glorious hostage yet.

"I don't want to talk to him—now or later," he snorted stubbornly.

Rhebekka dropped his hands. "You're a poor liar, Yugi," she sighed in frustrated defeat. "Alright, let's not speak of it anymore. We have far more important things to discuss." She opened her emerald eyes, scrutinized his profile with a critical nod, and summed him up quickly. "Has Timaeus spoken to you of your affairs yet? Clothing, customs, your sleeping arrangements? Anything of the sort?"

"Well… he tried…" Yugi felt suddenly flustered, like a child being caught for a crime he thought he got away with.

Rhebekka didn't ask for elaboration. Exhaling a grunt, she gestured a hand to his tunic and shenti—Kemet's style, but in Locri's colors. "And those?"

Yugi tugged on the fabric, suddenly self-conscious. "Timaeus had them made for me. He thought I'd be more comfortable for the time being."

"A sweet gesture," Rhebekka flashed a smile then strutted across the room. Ignoring the glory box in the corner, she threw open the wardrobe and fished for anything beyond the forest of under-armor suits. "We'll start with wardrobe then. You won't win any honors flaunting your status as a Prince of Kemet."

"Kemet is my home, Rhebekka," Yugi snapped defensively.

The girl did not flinch. "Aye, but you're a Lord of Locri now." She looked at him with compassionately stern eyes. "Best you look the part."

Yugi sighed and stumbled back on the couch. It was cruel compared to what he was used to. He wondered how miserable Timaeus must've slept those nights he gave Yugi his bed. This was his life now, he realized. He'd known it already, but knowing what had to be done and embracing the changes were different beasts, and it was clear which one was fiercer to tame.

So lost in his musings, he barely heard Rhebekka chirp, "Besides, that shenti and linen won't last a day against Lord Zephyros."

"Lord Zephyros?" Yugi blinked, bewildered by the odd phrase. Was it an Atlantian proverb? Or one more exclusive to Locri?

Rhebekka turned to him with a blink then scoffed at herself. " 'Tis the West Wind," she explained. "Or what they call them anyway. They're fierce devils and the worst of them are in the West Mountains and Locri is in its shadow. Believe me, you've not seen a mountain until you've set your eyes on _Aspromonte_," she chuckled.

A Kingdom built in the shadow of a mountain? On top of a lagoon? It had sounded like a fairy tale in Timaeus' tales. Was such a place truly possible? Yugi wondered. Locri is a Kingdom of Wind and Water. It sounded nothing like the hot sandy deserts and luscious green jungles of home. He suddenly felt an ache of homesickness but shook it away. Wasn't this what he wanted, after all? To see new, exotic places?

Rhebekka gave a cry of victory, halting his musings. She pulled free a set of flowing champagne garments and tossed them into his arms. "Try them on," she commanded gently, and Yugi fumbled to catch them. The material felt light and slippery in his arms, almost sheer, like he was holding nothing.

"And don't bother being modest," she snapped before he could move. "I've seen more men naked than I can count and you're not an exception," she hurried over.

Yugi rolled his eyes and studied the different pieces. He put on the top first: loose and flowing with long sleeves whose cuffs widened like ruffled wings and hems trimmed with gold. It hung unflatteringly loose about his torso until Rhebekka secured it with a golden brooch. The bottom was worse: exposing his stomach in a curved golden V around his hips, it was cut into two pieces, both secured by gold ties from his hip to his mid-thigh with the train pooling dreadfully around his feet. Amun, even the skirts worn by women in Kemet were not so long. To his relief, Rhebekka provided him a pair of undergarments and light, skin-hugging materials she called leggings to go under it.

He examined himself in the brass mirror with awkward scrutiny. "This feels…" he started, shifting clumsily. "Strange." It was all he could mutter. The style was odd: so many layers and so much skin covered. In Kemet, he'd barely worn anything—now only his stomach was exposed.

His skin prickled, unused to the material on his bare arms. Every step exposed honey-gold skin and the drapery retreated and receded in little ripples with each movement. Only the leggings stayed taut. He stretched his legs, unused to clothing that hugged his skin and found it uncomfortable.

"You'll adapt well enough," Rhebekka assured him over his shoulder. "They'll protect you from those harsh winds. Our garments are long and loose, but they're thick and they flow. They don't fight the wind but embrace it as a friend." Her smile was as wild as the wind she kept talking about.

He didn't doubt her. Despite the extra cloth, it was much lighter and warmer than his linen. Sheer, slippery, and delicate, he half-expected it to collapse from a single tug, yet it remained sturdy. The color complimented his skin well. The gold brought out his eyes, yet…

"Is this truly what I'll be wearing?" He turned to her in a desperate plea.

Rhebekka rolled her eyes. "Of course not," she snorted, like the question demanded an obvious answer. "Timaeus will provide you with plenty of outfits, all in similar styles. This one is simply for everyday wear. Such as roaming the ship, visiting the city, conversing with the people—you know, daily things?" She spun with a bright wink. "I'm sure Timaeus has already sent word to have the couple's chambers filled with clothes for all occasions.

"Couple's chambers?" Yugi cocked his head in bird-like curiosity. Then understanding bulged his eyes. "You mean a shared bedchamber?"

"Yes," Rhebekka giggle and elaborated. " 'Tis the custom in Atlantis, before you were a guest under Timaeus' protection. That's why you stayed here the last time. Now you are his consort. His protection has extended to you permanently. 'Tis no different on the mainland. Once we reached the Magister's palace, his current rooms will be emptied and new joint quarters will be created for you. Surely you've heard of shared bedchambers?"

"But…" Yugi blanched in surprise. "What of dining and meetings? Surely there are separate quarters so he'd not always be burdened with me?"

Shared bedchambers were a more romantic notion than a reflection of status. The Per- A'Ah's bedchamber was not just his private rooms, but where he crafted laws, sat on his throne, addressed his people, conducted business with his priests, and met with foreign diplomats. Only a small part was reserved for privacy and even those were separate from where he met with his wives and concubines. Even the Harem was designed so that the Queen's Apartments were a place of business as well as home for the Per-A'Ah's female relations and staff and all his children. Separation was a necessity.

Rhebekka shook her head, still smiling. "Nay, there are separate rooms for that." She elaborated when Yugi's eyes continued to bulge. "There's one for dining, for study, for entertainment, and for business. They are all different spheres of the Magister's house, and because of that, they are kept separate. The Masters' Bedchamber is no different, but they alone are yours and your husband's. You will have your own apartments to dress and sit and do as you will, but only a single marriage bed there. Not even servants may enter without direct order from both parties."

Yugi only half-heard her. "A shared... bed?" He parroted, more bewildered than scared.

"Aye," Rhebekka giggled. "The tradition is done in the representation of our goddess when her husband spirited her away: they had separate chambers until she accepted her husband and joined her rooms with his. It symbolizes that the two are now an indispensable part of each other's lives. As for why the shared bed, well..." she giggled with a girlish blush. "A more romantic origin of the custom has the man proving his love by carving his bride's nuptial bed from the hollow of a tree. Once it's done, he brings the bride there for their First Night. The home they share is then built around it. 'Tis also why the consummation is critical: it marks the moment when they begin their lives together."

She took in Yugi's expression: wide-eyed and jaw open, and stifled another laugh. "Oh, don't look so scandalized," she teased and playfully punched his arm. "It represents your utmost status in his life and your position in Locri. You can consider this trip practice if it will calm your nerves."

It didn't.

"Don't tell me he doesn't _tempt _you," she said with a sultry syllable.

Back stiffening, face flushing, Yugi shook his head, denial and disbelief causing his eyes to bulge. "Oh Ra, Rhebekka,_ please_ let us not speak about _that_! I've just barely begun to grasp the fact that I'm married to him let alone…" Laying with Timaeus. Having sex with Timaeus. Making love with Timaeus. Ra, no matter how he said it, the very idea sent his head spinning and his heart pounding, but he had no intention of yielding to the man's advances yet. "Of course, he tempts me! How could he not? But it matters not. I don't trust him. Legal or not, this marriage will stay unconsummated if I have anything to say about it."

"Oh, don't be boring," Rhebekka said flatly. "No one who ever said that lasted until their wedding night. The Iron Lady knows I barely lasted until mine."

Yugi spun to her, aghast.

Her smile curled to the mischievous face of a teasing imp. "I'm only telling you, there's no sense in abstinence, especially when you have someone as handsome and vivacious as the Trierarch for a husband." She smirked and giggled. "He's a tender lover and a passionate one. I may have no direct knowledge but I can assure you, you have nothing to fear from that."

Yugi snorted, blushing furiously. "I'm not afraid of—wait," The defense died abruptly on his tongue. "You are married?"

She laughed. "Yes, did I not tell you? Well, I've been married these last three years."

It made sense, Yugi thought. It would've been only a year or two after she'd become a woman at that age. It was a common thing for women. It was only men who married later and only because boys had to learn a trade. It was necessary for them to be well-off before setting up home with a wife and running the business.

"Would've been four, but I told my grandfather to make him wait. 'A man will never appreciate what he can get cheaply', Grandmama always said. I thought a year would be best, but six months into it, we could barely contain ourselves and I saw no more point in waiting," Rhebekka explained with a girlish fondness, laughing. Her eyes were dreamy and radiant, her cheeks bloomed pink, and her smile was prettier for it. She looked so much like a little girl in love that Yugi saw nothing of the fierce lioness or mischievous imp he'd come to call his friend.

Yugi smiled at her. "Must be hard," he said comfortingly. "Being apart from him."

Rhebekka sighed, lonely and dreamy with disappointment. "Aye, I miss him, but someone had to watch the city while the Trierarch is away for, nay, three months. Who else but his First? He trusted no one else. 'Twas how we met, you know?" She giggled again then plopped with a groan of frustration on the couch, her legs elegantly crossed.

"Alas, it's been well over a month since I've felt the touch of a man." Her sigh was dramatic and breezy, then she looked at Yugi with a coy smile. "Least you have the chance to sleep with your husband."

"We are _not_ speaking about this!" Yugi said immediately, straightening, then changed the subject. "What else will my duties be?" he asked, doing his best to sound dignified.

"I'm afraid I only know the basics so I cannot give you any details," she explained. A plate of dates had been left on the desk. Breakfast, Yugi assumed, but he'd ignored it that morning—too grief-stricken to eat. Rhebekka pulled a round, plump one from the middle of the pile and devoured it in only a few large bites.

She was halfway through her second when she asked. "First, let me ask: how does Kemet divide her duties—that is, between the fairer and sterner sexes? Politics, education, medicine, births, things like that?"

Yugi replied automatically. "They are all done together," he recalled vividly. "There are household rituals, as well as festivals, organized in the Houses of Life. Hem-netjer are both men and women, but births and marriages and funerals are overseen by Mut's hem-netjer, and the exorcism of disease is the duty of Sekhmet's. The home is the business of mothers and daughters—business, fathers and sons—and all children of the Per-A'Ah and of courtiers are taught to read and write, but only boys may become scribes, and politics and war are reserved for the Per-A'Ah and his chosen court. The Royal Wife, King's Mother and God's Wife, have great influence at court, however." Though such positions were religious first and political only in name, Yugi vividly remembered how his Father valued his wife's counsel. It was not direct power—they could not change laws, or make degrees even in women-related topics—but their opinions were voiced and their counsel heeded.

"I see," Rhebekka nodded, neither impressed nor disinterested. Juice trickled down her chin, and she finished her third date before she continued. "I'm afraid Locri is quite different in its division of labor, and stricter. Locri is an old city and its customs older still. Some are so ancient, I doubt they could be changed if tried."

She wiped her lips with her hand and reached for the bowl, but turned in surprise when she found it empty. "Strange, I did not think I was that hungry." She looked at her lap, suddenly embarrassed. "I did not even ask if you wanted any."

Yugi chuckled. "It's alright, I was not hungry." He sat next to her. "My duties?" he asked.

Rhebekka elaborated. "Atlantian custom is very specific. Men are warriors and Masters of the external sphere: politics, war, and the like. Women are internal rulers: they are healers, priestesses, mistresses of the household and business, and musicians. You are the younger person in this marriage, thus, you hold the position of lesser responsibility. Timaeus is Magister; his duties are war, politics, enforcing laws, providing judgment, disputing settlements, maintaining order, and organizing education, trade, and defense. You are Magistrate; you will organize marriages, tend to agreements over dowries, run the household expenses and the staff, plan parties and feasts, and take care of everyone. Births, funerals, healing illnesses, and agricultural affairs will all be yours to maintain."

Like a lion pride, Yugi thought, recalling Sekhmet. It was Timaeus who defends the city, maintains order, and keeps the people safe; and he would be the Lioness who organizes the staff, plans events, and provides care, he thought with cool resolve.

"And what of the staff?" he asked, hinting at further elaboration. "The servants, gardeners, and workers? Where will they reside?"

"In their homes, of course?" Rhebekka gasped as if he were daft.

Yugi's jaw dropped. "They don't live in the palace?"

Rhebekka threw back her head with a humorous laugh. "Nay, of course not! We'd have to house the whole island if that were the case, and there simply isn't enough room! Besides, they have homes and families of their own, but don't fret. The Trierarch makes sure they all have beds and tables, if that's what you're worried about."

Yugi's bewilderment did not ease. "The whole island?"

Rhebekka nodded. "Yes, everyone on the island in some form is part of Timaeus' house or his guard or part of the trade, and the work is circulated so everyone may honor their Magister by serving him and honoring their Gods by tending to their families. That will be part of your duty, as well: tending to the families and rotating the staff."

Yugi could only stare. Shared bedchambers, separate occupation rooms, and rotating servants who had to travel to work… It all seemed surreal to Yugi and completely unheard of back home. The common folk of Kemet did not starve nor were they poor, but it wasn't uncommon for them to get domestic service positions in the homes of the monarchs, the Gods' Houses, or even the Great House. Often, whole families would move in together. Having the staff continually have to walk back and forth between their homes and the Trierarch's seemed unnecessary and inconvenient for the staff. Yugi immediately resolved to change that.

Rhebekka squeezed his hand and smiled. "I know it is a lot, but you will learn. Timaeus will help you," she promised with a playful wink, and Yugi rolled his eyes.

"That is all for now." She hopped up and made her way to the doors. "I am needed at the helm." They opened with a shove of her arms. "For now, rest and enjoy your chambers, but don't dismay. The Trierarch will join you shortly—I'm sure you'll have _lots_ to talk about." She ushered him inside with a playful smile.

Yugi snorted.

Rhebekka giggled. "Fair enough. I've said my piece. Take it as you will." The words were playful and dreamy, like a cat who knew all its master's secrets, but in it was a finality that was both defiant and sad. Her hand reached for the door and she stopped. "What happens next is up to you, Yugi." She gave him a long look of both sadness and hope. "I tell you this as a friend: don't give up on him or yourself. Don't ruin both your lives just to punish him. No pride is worth destroying any hope you may have of a happy future."

With that, she was gone and Yugi was alone.

Yugi flopped onto the bed with a frustrated groan. Rhebekka's advice rang clear and unsubtle in his thoughts. A blush crept hotly over his face. Did he even dare to dream of a happy future with Timaeus? It was all he had dreamt about once. Perhaps Rhebekka was right and he still did. It made him wonder what might have been had his siblings not divulged their lies.

Would Timaeus have courted him properly once his guardian status was no longer between them? Beyond their sweet kisses and comforting words? Would anything have come of those playful passions? Or would they have parted as friends once their affair had run its course? Would he still be here, regardless? Perhaps as a guest and not a wife? Would Timaeus have even invited him? A weight, thick and heavy, settled in Yugi's chest. That fact had pained him most of all, and yet, nothing in his mind or in his chest could summon an answer that pleased him.

It awakened another fact he was loathed to admit. His treacherous body hadn't forgotten the way Timaeus aroused it. It had all but memorized the electric pulse of those lips on his, the gentle caresses of his hands, and the warm touch of his strong, hard body pressed against his own. And his troubled heart remembered the comfort those gentle touches had brought, the safety it felt in the shelter of his arms, and the freedom and devotion it only experienced in his lips. It was enough to send him swaying, and yet it still held that lingering, petrifying fear that it was all a mask to shatter his defenses. And with that, came the uncertain chill of what would happen when that mask came off.

Yugi shuddered, but was it from excitement? Or dread? Perhaps both. Timaeus was an unsolvable mystery. A puzzle whose pieces no one knew how to fit, or even knew where to start. Yugi had always liked challenges, and Timaeus was a defiant one. There were times when he was merciless and sarcastic, and others when he was tender and sweet. In some moments, he was collectedly cold and others, as wild as a boy mad with love. As Trierarch, Timaeus was harsh, but he wasn't cruel. The Shadow, his justice, was swift and brutal, but righteously so. The Dragon Knight commanded with an authority as fierce as his will, and his will was as indomitable as his devotion to his King. But the Guardian was different: protective, but passionate with a rogue's wit—quick and teasing and never sharp. And the Man, whose shadowed face and crestfallen eyes Yugi caught in glimpses, had listened to his tears and consoled him, but never advised him.

They were all faces, Yugi realized with a Game Master's scrutiny. Masks he shifted as effortlessly as the tide receded. But how many of those faces were masks and how many were pieces of his true self? That was the question that burned him most—even more so because he'd yet to solve it.

Another dark thought filled his mind. Was that how Timaeus saw him as well? A challenge to be conquered and tamed? His chest ached._ Why else, _he thought solemnly, _would he marry me without asking me?_

The resounding thud of heavy doors opening broke the stillness and he could ponder it no further. At first, he thought that perhaps it was Rhebekka leaving, but then he heard the familiar, rhythmic clicks of iron steps growing not louder, but closer.

Panic swept through him and Yugi scrambled for a place to hide. He heard the doors click open, and with no more time to think, he dove beneath the opened covers and feigned sleep.

X X X

Timaeus thrust the Great Cabin doors open with a resounding bang. They slammed shut behind him. The desire to throttle his men was still hot in his blood, but he controlled the urge and expelled his rage in a long, heavy sigh. It could wait, he decided. For now, he had to see to his little one, whose own mood he doubted was any better than his.

Rhebekka paused in the center of the room, her hair loose and draped in one of those odd long-sleeved floor-length gowns she only wore when she worked in the kitchens.

"How fares my little one?" he asked her with a smile.

"Stubborn as you, and twice as feisty," she grinned. "I suppose you could do worse for a Magistrate." She didn't elaborate, but straightened quickly and showed herself out with a bow—but not before she whispered a warning that could've been a plea. "Be kind to him."

She was out before he could catch her. What did she mean by that? He wondered. Did she honestly think he'd be anything less to his consort? He prayed that she didn't. With Yugi upset and his men stupid, he would need her help more than ever.

He hesitated outside the door to his room. Then he remembered it was _their_ room now and smiled. He entered softly and found the little lump hidden in the silks. He spotted the linen puddled on the floor. Curious, he thought. Had Yugi decided to strip before sleeping? It was mid-morning and the sun was hot. He deposited them at the edge of a bed in a neat pile.

Timaeus smiled and began stripping his mail. Once down to only his under-armor, Timaeus joined him. The bed creaked when he sat down and the mattress dipped under an added weight, but Yugi did not stir. Timaeus' gentle fingers found Yugi's soft, golden bangs and brushed them away from the young face with a feathery touch.

Yugi was young, Timaeus noticed. Young, but quick of wit, as nimble as a cat, sharp-tongued like a viper, and had large blue eyes and fine dark hair and soft, sweet, delicious lips. _And mine_, he thought hungrily. _Only mine_.

There was no sense in denying his want—it had been there the moment he'd glanced at the face of the wild creature that attacked him blindly in Mut's temple, and how could he not desire him? Yugi was all beauty and wit and courage and ferocity wrapped in one delicious little package. And he was _his_. Only in name for now, but he would wait. As much as the savage in him wanted that fire in his arms and between his sheets, the man in him was patient and would do this right. His sweet one deserved a proper courtship and he would need a gentle awakening.

He heard the swallow of an embarrassed squeak, and stilled. "Yugi?" Timaeus called out to him. Slowly, so as not to frighten his lover, he slid closer and peaked under the blankets. To his surprise, Yugi was not naked, but draped in fine Locrian silks. Carefully, he stripped the blanket away and revealed the full garment, piece by piece, in all it delicious glory. It was sleek and smooth, falling in pale ripples over Yugi's caramel skin.

A breath caught in his throat. He looked so lovely in it. The garments had been originally cut in the style befitting a Magistrate, but Timaeus had insisted on the leggings for a more masculine look, knowing Yugi's dislike for long flowing gowns that he considered feminine. Gender had minimal effect on the different styles in Locri, but he thought it would sooth Yugi's disquiet easier. He didn't think he'd ever see Yugi look so comfortable in an outfit of his own country, yet seeing him in one, watching him as he lie in one now, and Yugi wearing it like he'd done it his whole life—it made Timaeus want to unwrap it from him.

Then he froze and smirked. He _knew_ he hadn't imagined it. It was tiny, well-disguised, and barely audible under the sheets, but his sharp ears caught it: a startled squeak like a mouse frightened by a cat.

"Yugi," Timaeus called again with an unamused patience. Still no answer. With a defeated sigh, he rubbed Yugi's shoulder with his thumb.

Yugi's skin pricked from the touch, but unsure if it was apprehension or delight. His heart beat rapidly in his chest and he prayed Timaeus didn't hear it. Not daring to open his eyes or scrunch his face, he let his body fall limply, and fought with all his will not to jump when he felt gentle fingers weave around his shoulder and carefully coax him to lie on his back.

Timaeus' free hand wove through his hair, twirling the bangs with spidery fingers. His hand was coarse, but the touches were gentle and trailed down his cheek almost lovingly. They pulled away to steady the body above him. A physical weight settled on Yugi's chest over his heart. Soft hair tickled his nose and Yugi eyes popped. He looked down and blushed.

Ear pressed to Yugi's chest, Timaeus listened to his heart beat and smiled. He shifted, and Yugi closed his eyes immediately and continued pretending.

"I know you're awake, sweetling," Timaeus said, amused. He pulled his head back and braced his hands at Yugi's sides. "Your heart beats like a rabbit fleeing a jackal."

The body under him gave a small tremble but stubbornly refused to move. Timaeus shook his head with an amused sigh. As much as he admired Yugi's determination, this wasn't the time for stubbornness. "Very well." His lips curled into a wolfish grin and hovered just above Yugi's ear. "I did warn you," he whispered as soft as a kiss, and pressed his lips to Yugi's throat.

* * *

Hardest part about this chapter was deciding the POV. I wasn't sure if it should've been Yugi's the whole chapter or if it should've been Yugi's then Timaeus or what, for a moment i even considered making Rhebekka a POV character, but eventually this is what i settled on and it worked. Originally this was gonna be longer but i decided that cliff hanger I left would be more fun,

Plus it turned out MUCH longer than i thought it would be to explain the customs and cultural differences between Atlantis and Ancient Egypt without it sounding boring, and it turned out there were a bunch i didn't even think of. I based a lot of Atlantis' customs off Locrian customs particularly with woman's roles, and ancient Sparta, the marriage customs were inspired by my favorite of the Greek Myths and the only one with a happy ending: Hades and Persephone, but the marriage bed custom was taken from the Odyssey (how Odysseus carved his marriage bed from a tree and their estate was grown all around it and Penelope uses this to test to make sure its really him). The fun part is no one knows what life was like in Locri at that time so, though i can use the ancient city as a reference i can pretty much make it up from scratch as i go.

**Glossary and Grammar Knight's Note/s:**

_Shabka_ – a valuable jewelry gift given by the suitor to his fiancée. "Shabka" literally means what attaches you to the other person.

Zephyros – also Zephyrus or Zephyr; the Greek God and personification of the West Wind and Spring Winds. He is considered the gentlest of winds among his brothers, but since our story's setting is in Atlantis and not Greece, the West Winds are quite strong in Locri. I dunno, just ask Teenie about it.

Aspromonte – a mountain in Southern Italy

As always, read, review, reply, comment, critique ask questions and flames must have a reason.

_**NEXT**__Yugi and Timaeus' class of wills turns a little heated in more ways than one. Some new rules are explained and just when things start to look up-they get worse._

_**NEXT UPDATE**__**: **__**JULY 25th**_


	31. Chapter XXX!: Rules

I apologize for the lateness of this chapter...its been a busy two weeks for me and my betas. Special thanks to my Grammar Nazi for all her wonderful editing despite her own week being crazy! And now the moment you've all been waiting for...the long awaited continuation of TIMAEUS.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot

Dedications: to both my betas whom without these chapters would not be as good as they are, and my wonderful readers for their words of encouragement and their reviews that are indepth and inspiring. You guys are the best!

As always, read, review, critique, comment, rant, and take notes! i LOVE them! Especially since Timaeus will bcome an original story one day!

* * *

_Chapter XXXI: Rules_

Timaeus' touches were like his kisses: some were soft and sweet with tender promise, some coarse and hard with want. Others were quick and teasing, but most of them were long, deep, and passionate. Yugi bit his lip to keep from moaning, but Timaeus was quick and saw the tension in Yugi's glamour and smirked.

Lowering his face deeper into Yugi's neck, he savored the sweet, supple skin sliding against his lips, and wondered what it would be like to taste it. He trailed a coarse tongue down Yugi's chin to his throat and his collar, and peppered it with kisses. His fingers patted down Yugi's shoulders and arms like tiny kittens after their mother, and slipped the blanket down Yugi's chin, down his collar, exposed his chest, and finally, his hips. His hands found Yugi's hips and settled there. He felt Yugi shivering under him, saw his fingers curl in the sheets and swallow a weak, strangled sound—a hybrid between a whimper and a moan. His armor was breaking, but he remained absolutely still.

Timaeus' smirk widened. Stubborn little thing, his consort was. "Do you want me to stop, love?" he asked with a kitten-like cock of the head. Yugi didn't move. "I know you're awake, sweetling," he teased musically. The new nickname was drawn out into two musical notes: the first high and sweet; the second, a perpetual medium ring. "Sweetling?" he repeated. "If you don't want to continue, you need to tell me." There was a strange noise from the body beneath him—an odd mixture of a growl, a purr, and a whimper—but Yugi stubbornly remained quiet.

Timaeus shook his head with a sigh of "Stubborn." Then, with a wolfish grin, he added, "Very well, sweetling. If you're not going to listen, I will just have to punish you."

Before giving his little lover time to ponder the words, his fingers danced under the hem of Yugi's shirt, teasing the soft, flat stomach and the juts of his hips with ticklish thumbs rubbing in soothing circles. His finders spidered lower and dug gingerly into the tender skin of Yugi's hips. More than once they brushed the sensitive junction between Yugi's hips and thighs and he smirked with each rushing shiver up Yugi's spine—like the icy waters of a river cracking and freed by spring.

Yugi responded with fidgets and small sounds, but nothing loud or fierce enough to show he was awake. Timaeus' hand slid to Yugi's stomach, while the other continued to explore his body. One of Yugi's hands uncoiled from the bed sheets and jerked to Timaeus' hip and a sharp gasp escaped his mouth.

Timaeus smirked. His eyes gleamed wickedly at the beautiful body trembling beneath his hands. His grin curled to a proud, victorious smile. Only he would ever make Yugi tremble like this, he realized. Only he would have the right to see him flushed with heat, and the very fact that _he _was the reason Yugi was trembling filled him with pride.

A part of him enjoyed the charade: he'd meant the teasing as a punishment, but with each tiny blush to Yugi's cheeks, every fidget of his body against his, and each brush of skin beneath his fingers, Timaeus quickly found himself beaming. It soon became a game of who would break first, and it made Timaeus wonder how far Yugi would let him go. How much was he allowed to touch?

He had to admire his little one's resolve—Yugi was more than just stubborn, it seemed. He was willful and determined, and Timaeus beamed with pride. This was the Yugi he'd fallen in love with, and the one who would become his Consort and rule Locri as its Magistrate beside him. But first, he needed to regain Yugi's trust, and to do that, he had to get Yugi to quit playing. There was a time and place for resolve and recklessness, and it was the first thing he needed to teach his little consort. As amusing as Yugi's antics were, and as bold as he was being now, he'd given Yugi his word—and even if he hadn't, he didn't want their first time to be a loveless affair driven by lust.

Deciding it was time to end this little bout of play, he prepped for his final trick: carefully, he slid his hands up Yugi's stomach. The hem of Yugi's shirt caught in his thumbs and it lifted, exposing his midriff to the cold, open air. Yugi was visibly shivering now, his lower and upper lip sucked between his teeth, but still, his eyes refused to open.

Wolfishly, Timaeus—hands on Yugi's hips—leaned and whispered in his ear. "Just ask me, little one, and I'll stop," he promised, then added with a voracious chuckle, "If you don't stop pretending, I _will_ have to punish you," he warned, the way a child warned its rival that they were in trouble. Yugi's stillness did not change.

Timaeus licked his lips and smirked. "Alright." It was Yugi's only warning before he plunged his face into Yugi's stomach and his tongue in Yugi's naval.

Yugi didn't even try to contain his shock. His mouth opened in a voluminous morph of desire between a shriek and a moan. His hands flew to Timaeus' hair; fingers wove into the silvery locks and tugged fiercely. "T-T-Tim—" he tried to call the name but all he managed was a barely audible squeak. He tried to buck his hips, but Timaeus snatched them up in his hands and pinned him to the bed like the claws of a predatory bird. "Timaeus!" he finally screamed.

Timaeus pulled away and Yugi's lust-hazed mind blinked with confusion and disappointment.

"So now you're awake?" Amethyst eyes dark with desire met the victoriously gleaming emerald and pearl.

His mind cleared enough to survey their position. Timaeus on top of him, clad in only his tight under-armor, knees on either side of Yugi's thighs and his hands still ensnaring Yugi's hips, and Yugi's arm on his shoulder, the other buried in Timaeus' hair. Yugi's whole face burned.

Timaeus regarded Yugi's flustered face with an amused chuckle. Yugi's face burned to the tips of his ears; he bowed his head and looked away with an embarrassed frown. Timaeus' eyes shone with tender apology: one soft green, the other a pearly reflection, and pressed his lips to Yugi's cheek. With a small gasp, Yugi spun to him, cheeks pink with bashful surprise and delicately touched the tender spot. He suddenly looked so much younger and inexperienced. Timaeus nuzzled his neck comfortingly, then tilted Yugi's chin to face him. His eyes shined with uncertainty. Timaeus pressed a light kiss to the edge of Yugi's lips—the gentlest of promises.

Yugi blushed again, touched by the gesture, but he wasn't ready to surrender the game just yet. His eyes hardening with determination, Yugi sat up and took Timaeus' face in his hands, then kissed him hard. Timaeus' lips parted in an unexpected gasp, temporarily stunned by the boldness. Yugi was quick to take advantage of it, and teased his lips open with his tongue. Yugi pressed harder into him, but Timaeus was not one to be flustered. He grasped Yugi's arm with just the right amount of seductive tightness and pulled Yugi to his hard chest with a rough tug. Yugi gasped in surprise. Timaeus parted his lips with a practiced tongue and captured Yugi's lips again in a fierce kiss. Yugi felt a familiar heat pouring into him, filling him with a sweet savory warmth so strong, he felt drunk from it.

Yugi couldn't stop the moan that slipped through his lips, or the way his bones liquefied into nothing. His hands moved to clench Timaeus' forearms—independent of his thoughts—and was once more reminded of the other kisses they'd shared, both fierce and soft. Why was it so easy to fall into this man's arms? Why did one kiss leave him breathless and witless and his mind blank with the way Timaeus' body pressed against his? It made him wonder how easy it would be to just let go of everything and give into what his heart so desperately wanted.

He felt Yugi's fingers tighten affectionately and expectantly in his tunic, and with the greatest reluctance, Timaeus pulled away. He looked into Yugi's dazed, flushed faced: panting and disappointedly angry. He couldn't stop himself from smirking. The darker part of him wanted nothing more than to pounce, but his logic and honor were stronger. Besides, he decided that even without his promise, he didn't want Yugi's first night to be a loveless affair. Not when he'd waited so long to know what love felt like. Even if it took him years, Timaeus decided, he would grant that wish. For now, however, they had much to discuss: Yugi still needed reprimanding for his scuffle on the deck, and they needed to discuss his new tutelage. And as much as he enjoyed Yugi's boldness, a smirk coiled in recalling the kiss Yugi had initiated, only to have it backfire; he didn't like Yugi attempting to weaponize his affections.

Securing Yugi's hips in his hands, he gave them a light squeeze and leaned over his small consort with a low bow. "Didn't I warn you not to play games with me unless you intended to finish them?" he whispered hotly in Yugi's ear—a sharp sultry purr.

Yugi's eyes shot open and a tremor of anger, excitement, and fear shot through him. Absent was the cloud of bemusement his lust had trapped him in. Anger now pooled in Yugi's gut. He glared down at his lap and started muttering low Coptic curses under his breath. Only a few were directed at Timaeus.

Timaeus shook his head with a bemused chuckle. "As much as I long to continue this…" He tilted Yugi's defiant chin up and met Yugi's clouded eyes. "I made you a promise. One I fully intend to keep." For a moment, Timaeus wanted to believe the tide had passed between them. That the storm of bitterness was over and they could truly begin their life together. But he wasn't that naïve.

"And more importantly," he chuckled. His mismatched eyes glittered: one green and vivid with mischief and wicked delights; the other a pearly reflection, brightened by a playfully sinister red line. His smile was a smirk. One that Yugi knew all too well. "It's time we indulged in a few rules."

Yugi gulped loudly. That smirk was sending a chill shivering up his spine.

"R-Rules?" he snapped, mortified by the nervous stutter in his words.

"Yes, sweetling," Timaeus answered. There was a hint of derision in the nickname. He rolled into a sitting position on the edge of the bed, one arm braced at Yugi's hip and his top half leaning over him. Yugi glared at him for it. He tried to push himself up, but Timaeus' grip was firm.

"Firstly," Timaeus ignored the bravado and raised a scolding finger. "Since it seems I cannot trust you to hold your tongue, or my men to behave themselves, you shall not speak nor associate with the crew until I deem otherwise."

"_You_ cannot trust _me_?" Yugi snapped, incredulous with anger.

"Secondly," Timaeus said evenly and unflinching. "You will accompany me at all times. If in the event I am called away from you, you shall remain here or with Rhebekka. As your safety is my primary concern, I'll feel all the better having you at my side and away from the prying eyes of my men," he added with a possessive growl.

"Furthermore, now that we are married, you shall join me for meals where we shall spend at least two hours a day rehearsing your station as my Consort and Magistrate of Locri, and henceforth, we shall share the Trierarch's quarters."

Yugi's cheeks huffed angrily. "I'm not a babe that needs to be watched!" he snapped.

"I know that, Yugi," Timaeus said with a soft calmness. Yugi's mouth dropped to an 'o' of surprise and Timaeus continued. "Or have you forgotten how we met?" It was a rhetorical question, but he still waited for an answer.

Yugi's cheeks reddened and his expression widened with mortification.

Timaeus softened his next words but kept his expression hard. "This issue is not about whether or not you _can _defend yourself, but if you _should. _You're too reckless. Even more so than the day you nearly flung yourself from the rafters. Your temper is too rash, and you're too quick to act. You show regard only for your pride and none for your safety and you lack the patience to hold your tongue," he criticized, but not cruelly.

Yugi opened his mouth to protest, but Timaeus silenced them with a gentle press of his fingers, eyes and voice intenerating. "You were right to defend yourself, and I'm proud of you." His face was warm, but his eyes were not smiling. "But you should not have been there. What if your witty remarks landed you in a situation you couldn't handle? What would you have done then? Whatever skills you have, there are times when your safety is more important than your pride."

"They attacked me!" Yugi said defensively, but even he heard how weak the protest sounded.

Timaeus shook his head with a sigh that was both impatient and impressed. "And they've already been punished for that offense. But they are your subjects now, and bullying them with that fact will earn you no respect."

"Bullying?" Yugi nearly choked on the word. The accusation was so unjust he could barely speak. "But they—" He tried to protest but the arguments froze on his lips when Timaeus hardened his eyes.

"This is not Kemet, Yugi," he said sternly and absent of any endearment. "You are not a prince here, nor are you righted with special treatments because you were born as one. Once you became my consort, you became their Magistrate. Your rank and status is second only to my own, but I am the Trierarch of this ship, not you. It is my duty to deal out justice and enforce the laws. Your duty is to mediate order and take care of everyone. It is a privilege for you to uphold, not a right you inherit. They did not see you as their Trierarch's Consort today; they saw you as a spoiled child throwing a tantrum. Do not lie and say it did not give you pride to see them humbled."

A protest formed on Yugi's lips, but one look at Timaeus' even eyes and stern silence and all his thoughts sounded stupid. The worst part was that it _had_ given him pride to see them cower, to shock them into submission. He had felt vindicated by it. Yet with a few harsh truths, Timaeus had taken even that away from him. Worse, he'd made it all sound petty, even cowardly. Like the bullies who'd teased him as a child.

Timaeus gave his hand a comforting squeeze. "Hence the rule," he said simply, sparing Yugi the admission.

Tears of shame prickled Yugi's eyes, but he forced them back, squared his shoulders, and stiffened his spine. His eyes stung and his body trembled from the effort. "And what exactly does my station entitle?" he demanded, eyes wet but hard, and cheeks puffed and unyielding.

_Proud __and stubborn even when vanquished_. Timaeus grinned proudly. "That shall be the second rule," Timaeus continued, his stone face beamish. "Two hours a day and all our meals will be spent preparing you for your role as Magistrate. I shall explain the details in progression. For now, you need only be aware of them. I want you well aware of what will be expected of you by the time we reach Locri and I'll not have you stumbling about because you were ill-informed."

Yugi glared at him, irritated, but said nothing.

"It is the best way for me to keep an eye on you," Timaeus admitted with a casual shrug. "And besides…" His green and pale eyes gleamed wickedly. Yugi shivered. "We _are _married. It would seem odd if we didn't spend at least some time alone together, and we shan't become better acquainted otherwise, aye?"

Something about the way he said it made Yugi fluster and he rose to bluster. "And I suppose I'm meant to smile, nod my head, and do as I'm told like a dutiful little wife, am I?" The derision was hard and mocking.

Timaeus' chuckle burst into an outright laughter—his eyes dark and amused. "You have courage, Yugi. However…" He leaned over Yugi again, looming like a shadow. His eyes narrowed. "You've got more courage than sense, and I'm getting fed up with this constant spite of yours," he warned with an amused snap, his patience thinning.

"And I am fed up with how you've forced yourself into my life," Yugi snapped, sitting up. "You expect me to just accept this farce of a marriage and obey your commands? Ha! I won't allow you to treat me poorly. I won't allow it!"

Timaeus' smile never faltered but his eyes flickered with something that wasn't amusement. "Be grateful that I haven't!" he snapped, suddenly angered. "You've been nothing but a brat since we've set sail!" His thinning patience finally snapped. "Other than the circumstances of our wedding, have I ever given you reason _not_ to trust me?" He didn't wait for Yugi to answer. "I could've kept you locked up when I escorted you to Djanet. Or I could've made you my cabin boy, yet I did not. And now that we are married, I could've fixed it so you couldn't leave this room or do anything unless I said otherwise." He leaned closer, his voice a low hiss. Yugi shivered, but his eyes held no fear. "But I have not." He paused and pulled away.

"You…" Yugi let all his anger and bitterness bleed into his voice. "You are cruel and heartless!"

Timaeus sprang and Yugi sucked in a breath, his wrists pinned above his head and a hand curled tightly in the flesh of his hip. Timaeus loomed domineeringly above him: one eye wild and green, the other a cruel reflection—and his smile curled.

Yugi's heart leapt into his throat, waiting for him to strike. Instead, he leveled their eyes and whispered in a low, husky wisp. **"**If I was cruel and heartless, I would've beaten you bloody for the day's insolence and I would be having sex with you, and not even your tears or your pleas would make me stop." His words were low with dangerous promise. "Were I cruel and heartless, I wouldn't be waiting to consummate our marriage, nor would I be trying and willing to regain your trust in me." His words softened and his grip loosened. "No, little one, I am not some unscrupulous brute who would beat his lady, nor will I become the monster you think I am," Timaeus assured, hard with honor but soft with the gentlest of promises.

Yugi's hands were released but he left them where they were. His body expelled a breath it didn't realize it had been holding. Timaeus regarded him with even eyes, for a moment saying nothing, but there was something else in his eyes. Something low and pained. Suddenly, as quick as it appeared it was gone and Timaeus' eyes hardened. "But neither shall I tolerate your mistreatment of me."

He untangled himself from the bed and grabbed his mantle off the chair, and clasped it with a single swoop over his shoulders. It was a full moment before Yugi realized he was free. He sat up suddenly, limbs light and ready to flee.

Timaeus spun to him with a radiant smirk, and wickedly gleaming eyes. He noticed Yugi's glare and swaggered over to him, taking the little one's chin in his hand, smiling when Yugi put up no resistance other than a defiant glare. "I told you before, Yugi, you are _mine _to protect, and everything I've done I did to ensure just that." He sealed the declaration with a bold kiss—quick and hard—then he spun to leave.

Just as he reached the door, Yugi found himself and growled, then spat, "I never asked for your protection." Timaeus stopped and Yugi took advantage of the pause. He would regret it later. "And I never wanted it." His tone was low and cruel with the fact.

Timaeus stood there, saying nothing, and then left without another word. The door slammed behind him. Only when he was alone did Yugi finally allow himself to collapse bonelessly into a heap of angry tears. He punched the pillow in his anguish and curled himself into a small ball. He was right. He did regret the lie: all it had done was hurt them both.

_Why…? _He pushed his face into his pillow, muffling his sobs. Timaeus cared about him, perhaps even loved him. So why was Yugi so cruel to him? _How…?_ It was the one question that burned in his mind. _How could they possibly have a future when he wasn't even willing to try?_

On the other side of the door, Timaeus slumped heavily against the thick wood. Anguish weighed heavily on his heart and his weak legs wobbled like gelatin. His face fell into his hands and his fingers dug anxiously into his face. Silent tears he hadn't felt in years pricked his lashes and he did nothing to stop them. "What have I done?" he whispered brokenly to the ghosts of no one. "What can I do?" The question left him thick and hollow.

Neither heard the other collapse on the other side of the door.

* * *

Long live the Queen (sips whine) I'm evil aren't I?

This was one of my favorite chapters to write! It had all the stuff i love about knightshipping: smut, romance, comfort, argumentation, character building and development and relationship growth, and just when you think they're making progress BOOM! But overall i think this was one of the better chapters for them to get some time to discuss their situation and make some progress, even if one step forward takes them two step-back...but overall i thnk we both got a real sense of their developing chracters this chapter, and i love the return of bad-ass Timaeus and voluptuous Yugi.

ENJOY! i can't wait to see the comments for this one!

_**Next Time: **__A new voice makes an appearance and a few surprises are about._

**Next Update: **_August 21st (will be sooner if the ediditng is done early)_


	32. Chapter XXXII: Pathfinder

UPDATE ON TIME YAY! Would've been earlier but I had plans!

**Dedications: **Special thanks to my beloved Grammar Knight for editing and getting this back to me so fast, and to my Beta for her help with the characterization. You girls are the best team a Queen of Plotwists could ever have!

**Disclaimer:**_ I own nothing but the plot._

As always, read, review, reply, comment, critique, concerns and all flames must have a reason behind them or they will be ignored.

* * *

_Chapter XXXII: Pathfinder_

The Trierarch returned to the deck in an even fouler mood than when he'd left. No one doubted why, but no one dared speak of it. He stormed to the helm and his crew parted quickly like a frightened wave.

"How long 'till the river's end?" he snapped, and the Sailing Master shot up.

"W-Well," Ryou stuttered, struggling to compose himself. "The winds and the current are both favorable, and given our present speed—"

"I don't want explanations, Ryou!" he snapped an impatient roar. "I want an answer."

Ryou jumped and said automatically, "Another hour... at best," he added frantically.

"Good," came the curt, unflattering reply. "Then we'll reach the sea by nightfall." It was already well past midday and the Tanitic Lake, a miniature sea in its own right, would take at least a few hours to cross.

"Rhebekka will take the helm for the rest of the day," Timaeus said, quiet and blunt—an impersonal statement that addressed no one.

Ryou watched him turn and leave, confused and almost terrified to ask what was expected of him. The Trierarch stopped and transfixed him with a sharp look, like the Navigator's thoughts were but a mumble under his breath.

"Well? Make yourself useful." Dismissed with a harsh glance from his Trierarch, Ryou bowed his head and scurried away, pale face flushed with shame and hurt, and not even having the strength to square his shoulders to save his pride.

The State Room was unlocked and empty. Ryou was grateful for that. Behind the safety of the closed doors, his body felt weak and heavy, like iron chains had shackled his shoulders. He collapsed against the center table, his burden deposited carelessly. Cartograph scrolls and lambskin oceanography charts spilled open over the table's intricate carvings.

He dismissed him. His Trierarch's cold confession burned through all other thoughts. He _dismissed_ him. Quietly. Privately. Like he was some haughty child. It was worse than if he'd screamed at him openly. It was _humiliating_.

"Stupid," he reflected with a bitter rasp. "So stupid."

Not since the day of their first summit had the Trierarch scolded him so coldly. He'd been an arrogant slip of a boy: well-bred, well-educated, and well-worldly—and recently promoted to act as Sailing Master for the newly-christened First of the Dragon Knights. None of which impressed Timaeus, but at sixteen Ryou was not known for his patience, and his new office had made him bolder. _Stupider_, he reflected, the word tasting like ash in his mouth. He fancied himself better, _smarter_, than some mixed-blood savages the King plucked from the streets of the Westerlands. Timaeus quickly saw an end to that nonsense.

Gentle fingers stroked his lower cheek and the curve of his jaw. It still ached from that day's scolding. The other felt the same sting: he'd been stupid enough to argue. He knew better than to argue this time, so he settled for falling forward and letting the table absorb his weight—tasks forgotten, anger and shame swallowed him whole.

He knew who to blame—who he _wanted_ to blame—but no part of him could bring himself to accept the untruth. Not when his Trierarch had all but confirmed a fact: the Trierarch was in love with his consort. Whether he recognized it or not, Timaeus had fallen in love with the Kemet Prince he'd taken to wife. It was there, flecking clearly in his eyes under the burning disappointment.

But how? Why? It was the question that burned him most. He'd caught the boy in glimpses on those short days that he was Timaeus' ward. He was no more special than the other princes Ryou encountered: he was quietly bold, stubbornly strong, haughtily proud, expectantly demanding, and carried a strength required of one bred for authority. Yet there was something else about Kemet's youngest prince. He was handsome, otherworldly so, and he wielded it like a sword. His strength was his courage and his dignity he wore like a shield, but his true power was the sharpness of his wit, marred only by the impatience of his tongue. He carried the expectations of his rank with such dignity and courage, despite his own devastation, that for a moment even Ryou admired him.

Ujalah was a Prince-born, as much of Pinedjem I's son as the temple singer that bore him, and far too reluctant to be the money-grubbing tramp who'd become the source of Kemet's latest gossip.

They had been so stupid. He understood now. It was no wonder the Trierarch found such assumptions embarrassing, but what else could they have done? He was the First of the Dragon Knights, fostered and apprenticed to the King himself, and raised alongside his own daughter. A gallant princess and an honorable knight; raised together as children, lovers as adults, King and Queen of a golden age—it was like a Song. A Song! How long had they all waited in joyful hope for the coming of their wedding day—impatient and eager, and ready with gifts and preparations and careful dissections of proper garments? Yet it never came. Because that was all it was: a song, a children's tale, glamourizing a much darker truth. And when the Trierarch _did _marry, it was not to their princess, but to some shapely, saucy chit with pretty eyes?

A chit who was not his Magistrate, Ryou reminded himself. The word still tasted bitter in his mouth. He _must've _been a harlot. It was the only explanation. Certainly a manipulator? And absolutely a gold-blood. What else could he have been? Why else would the Trierarch marry someone who was virtually a stranger?

That had been stupider.

The Trierarch was not easily seduced. He had no patience for glittering flirts or timid maids who dreamed of princes and knights and wanted him to be gentle. He wasn't entranced by sparkling smiles and pretty songs. Many had tried. None lasted more than a day. Those that did never lasted beyond the morning, when it became clear that they had nothing but birth or beauty to recommend them. The Princess, Ryou only just now realized, had been both—and the lad was neither. He was not timid, save for his own inexperience, and not flirty beyond a seductive teasing—of which the Trierarch was a master. He certainly had beauty and birth, and he wielded both with the humble responsibility and dangerous ferocity that most men wielded a spear with.

Of course, the Trierarch has fallen in love with him, but why _marry_ him? Why him and not the princess? That was the question that burned him most. They had been close, hadn't they? Was there even a chance, if Timaeus' blunt dismissal was any indication? No, Ryou shook his head. No—surely Timaeus had loved her once. Loved her still.

Doors creaked open and the comforting silence shattered. He spun to it and recoiled.

Yugi stood in the shadow of the open doors, half his form still secluded in the Trierarch's quarters. His eyes were shiny and red-rimmed and he wiped them carefully with the underside of his palm. His face was shadowed and his mouth pinched in a frown, but the skin looked freshly washed. His hair was unruly, like he'd been weeping, but he combed the tresses back with his fingers. He _must've_ been weeping, Ryou thought, but he hid the evidence well.

There was a slouch in his posture, exhausted and drained and yet somehow, he still managed to look regal. That was when Yugi saw him and gasped. "What are you doing here?" The words spilled out of him—nothing contemptuous or superior, just incredulous surprise.

He blinked then studied the open maps and tools scattered across the table, and his eyes flickered with recognition. "You're the Sailing Master." A statement, not a question. "Ryou, he said your name was."

Ryou blinked at him in surprise.

"What?" Yugi snorted—half with amusement and half with derision. "Thought me too proud to bother with remembering your names?" Another observation that shed the cloak of a question.

Ryou, at least, had the grace to blush.

"I thought so," Yugi chuckled, free of derision. "I don't fault you for that." He turned to survey the rest of the State Room. "I'll leave you to it, then." He wandered about, admiring everything: the light pouring through the windows and how it illuminated the sailing directions wallpapering the walls, the collection of scrolls and codices stacked high among shelves and cupboards.

He gazed at them longingly, fingers tracing the titles and his nose scrunched at some of the languages. He pulled out titles he must've liked and occupied one of the nearby couches, the texts ushered into a neat pile on his lap.

Again, Ryou was surprised. This was not the brazen brat he'd seen above deck. What happened to his haughty attitude?

He opened a particularly large tome and rolled it open on his slender lap, then trailed his fingers over the intricate letters and traced navigational lines of maps. Again, his eyes narrowed, and nose scrunched up in frustration,

"What are you looking for?" The words spilled out of Ryou before he realized he'd spoken them out loud.

The lad's head popped up with a bewildered blink. His head tilted with a bird-like cock, almost innocent in its confusion. With another blink, recognition returned and Yugi spun the scroll about on his lap and held it open. The image was a nautical map: oceans, rivers, and lands. Kemet squeezed into the most southeastern corner.

"Where is Locri?" It was an honest question. It was then that Ryou saw what a map of it was. He could not find the voice to speak. Unfazed by his silence, Yugi rose to the table, shoved the books aside, laid the map upon the table, and pointed to the image of a very recognizable country. "It should be here, but I do not see it."

His voice returned and spoke independently of his thoughts. "That cartograph is of the sea. It does not hold the whole island." His arm robotically shoved aside the parchment and it rolled obediently into a cylinder, exposing the map below. The lad's eyes enlarged with amazement. It was the first time he had seen it in detail.

"Locri is here," Ryou explained, suddenly lighthearted. He traced a crescent of mountains with his finger.

"What's it like?" Yugi asked, almost dreamily. Ryou met his question with a scrutinizing stare. Yugi's smile did not change, but his eyes flickered with something other than laughter. "Timaeus has told me of her, but not much," Yugi explained. "I want to know more."

The words spilled out of him before Ryou could stop them. "The kingdom stretches from the coast, along the low rise between the two sisters here," he illustrated with his fingers, tracing the outline of mountains and circling two intermittent blue lines that could only be rivers.

"And these?" Yugi asked, circling the bumpy ridges outlining the base of the kingdom.

"The three peaks," Ryou explained, identifying each one. "The tallest is the House of our Great Leviathan, this is the House of our Lord Hades, and the last," he pointed to the mountain that most closely shadowed the city with a deep fondness, "Is for the Iron Lady."

"It all sounds lovely," Yugi said, low with sadness. "I long to see it."

Ryou felt himself suddenly return, like he was a specter and his body had been operating without its soul. "I am certain you will find it to your pleasure," he replied, curt and courteous.

Yugi snorted. "If it grieves you to be polite to me, I will not be offended if you'd rather not," Yugi said with blunt assurance. Ryou spun to him, his face a mask of shock.

Yugi shook his head with amused derision. "I'm not deaf. I heard the rumors. I know the stories. Timaeus was supposed to marry the princess and become your King. Like in the songs, the Princess and the Honorable Knight—true love, whose reign is a golden age. But he married me. I do not fault your hatred."

No other words were said. They were not needed, but the resignation of his voice—sad but acceptant—filled Ryou with shame.

Silence lingered between them, uncomfortable and tense. Yugi began rolling the maps and turned to shelve them, and that action spoke more of finality than just a simple errand. Ryou sensed a test.

"Tell me the truth," he said suddenly, but in control of his voice. "Do you love him?" There was no mockery or humor in his tone. This was a test, and he was determined to pass it.

Yugi turned to him. There was no surprise on his long grim face. "Whether I love him or not is none of your concern, nor does it matter what I think of him, and I'm past caring what anyone here thinks of me," he said with dull resentment. "I was a prince of Kemet; now I am his consort. He is my husband and I his Magistrate, and I accept and will perform whatever task that duty demands of me," he spoke, with such dignity and courage that Ryou despaired.

"But…" he stumbled for words. "Surely if you accepted—"

"I never accepted," Yugi cut him off sharply. "How could I accept when he never asked me?" He spun to face him, cheeks flushed, eyes bright, and face mad with love. He was so different from the kind and curious creature his spectral self had known that Ryou stumbled backwards.

"He approached my brothers and sisters, but he never approached me! Had he only asked, I would have—" His voice rose, but then, as if realizing he was not alone, stopped and composed himself. "It matters not. We are married now. 'Tis the end of it."

His tone was filled with such an underlining sadness that even Ryou despaired. It was so low and barely readable underneath the neutral dignity of it that he would have never heard it if he hadn't listened.

_He does love him_, Ryou realized, distraught. Or at least, he had before. But something had changed… a lot has changed. And yet he's still here.

Ujalah—no, Yugi—was a Prince-born: proud, strong, and true. And a better man than any of them, Ryou realized. This was a test. And he failed.

He hadn't realized he'd been shaking until Yugi took his hand. "Are you alright?"

If he had been stronger, Ryou would've nodded and smiled. Instead, it took all his strength not to weep. As unseemly as he knew it was, it only took the simple sight of Yugi's concerned eyes and sad smile, and Ryou felt the strength go out of him. He forced himself to sit stiffly on the couch, but Yugi followed with a gentle squeeze of his hand.

They'd been so wrong, Ryou realized. _He _had been wrong, he understood that now. Understood what the Trierarch had so clearly seen and what he hadn't wanted to. He resolved himself then, wiping his brow with an angry hand and squaring his shoulders. "Forgive me," he said, and Yugi looked surprised. A protest formed on his lips but Ryou cut him off. "Do not—please, do not," he begged. His resolve cracked for a moment, but he regained his composure. "We had no right to disrespect you that way. I had no right… I regret that now. I do."

Yugi blinked and nodded. " 'Tis not all you," he confessed. "Timaeus was right; I was angry and my pride was hurt. I should not have taken it out on you."

"You were in your right," Ryou corrected. A small smile pulled at his lips. "I understand now… why he loves you."

Yugi gasped, but Ryou silenced the rising protest. " 'Tis fine. I know you are uncertain. I do not hold that against you. I am simply telling you what I've observed." His smiled brightened. "He is in love with you."

"I…" Yugi looked flabbergasted, the protest dying in his throat. "Thank you." He forced a small laugh and had the grace to blush.

He blushed prettily, Ryou thought. And he laughed sweetly. Yugi smiled then. A small, pleasant smile, and Ryou's heart leapt. He resolved himself then, to learn the truth of this odd child with an honest smile. To learn who he was and where he came from, without the bias of egotistic assumptions. He would discover who his new Magistrate was: if he was truly the bratty child they thought, or someone special who kept his heart hidden from all but the Trierarch. He suspected the latter, but he resolved to find out. And if he was the latter, then perhaps in time, he could earn his trust, give him counsel, and maybe—a small miniscule part of him hoped—become his friend.

He had not felt such pride in a promise since he swore fealty to Timaeus.

* * *

Didn't I mention there'd be a new voice ;) Bet none of you expected it to be Ryou's! I hope his POV made you think and answered a few questions you all had, and you enjoyed his interpretation of Yugi. He'll be playing a bit of a big role in the futuret to come ;) Also, itsFirst time someone other Than Yugi and Timaeus had a POV, and there will be others! Next one will be Rhebekka in chapter 7.

Also, I have to say I am so please with the reception to last chapter it isn't even funny! Mostly because, it came out exactly the way i wanted it to and I'm so pleased that everyone has for the most part gone beyond Team Yugi and Team Timaeus and basically accepted that they're both acting like idiots and need to talk (and believe me i'm just as frustrated with them as all of you are) Ironically though, the more people complain about Timaeus, it just makes me want to right MORE Timaeus, and the more people complain about Yugi, it make me wanna write MORE Yugi!

Also, little note, since there were some concerns about Timaeus and Yugi's clash of wills via make outs last chapter, keep in mind with these two, Timaeus and Yuugi's relationship started as a power struggle (not a bad one, mind you.) It was a constant battle of culture, sexuality, of the mind and of the body. Yuugi and Timaeus haven't found their balance yet because they're still struggling over what happened and it takes time to do that. And back to the scene, just because they're not talking about their situation doesn't mean they're not talking period. There's going to be smut moments because those two are sexually charged and there's chemistry and tension there. Just because they aren't talking doesn't mean they don't care for another. They'll still find their way. Timaeus has given Yuugi the best he has while on the ship and hasn't disrespected him in the has an intimidating personality and he has to be that way because he's a commander and those personality traits are going to sink into his personal life as well. He's a soldier and came from a hard life so that's going to show. Yuugi could have easily said, "Stop, I don't want this." he's pretty vocal about he wants and doesn't want in life and Timaeus respects that.

Overall, everyone's comments, and debates have been WONDERFULLY enlightening! They make me think and double-check myself and always give me ideas! And ironically the more people write complaining about Timaeus or Yugi, it honestly just wants to make me write more Timaeus or Yugi XD

Also, remember, with this story you can't look at things at face value, and i think this chapter did a good job showing WHY Yugi's really upset and its not BEING married to Timaeus. I have lots of plans for this story, so keep that in mind, and by the end of this all your questions will be answered soon (its hard to comment on some of them without spoiling it) but I really get such a kick out of everyone thinking the problem is that Yugi doesn't WANT to be married to Timaeus. XD

As always, read, review, reply, comment, critique, concerns and flames must have a reason beyond "the 'Yami/Atem' character is more dominate so he's the one at fault thing". Seriously! But again i love your feedback! It gives me ideas and keeps my thinking fresh!

**_Next Time: _**_A special surprise is in store and many questions and concerns will be addressed but will it bring our wayward lovers closer together...or tear them further apart?_


	33. Chapter XXXIII: Ocean

Woohoo! Another on time update and all the credit goes to my wonderful beta and gamma! My Beta and content editor Val aka Silmera-Archer of Vahalla for helping me with the transition (and believe me that was a BITCH this chapter! Took better part of a week to fix thanks to work) and my Gamma, and Grammar Knight, Arminthe Ipswich for her wonderful editing! You girls are the best!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot. Yugioh characters belong to takehashi

as always read, review reply comment ask questions post theories and if you want to rant to right ahead but give me a reason! No "I don't like this..." Thing tell me WHY! I love critiques!

And again special thanks to all my readers and my reviewers for your wonderful feedback and comments! They always make me think and help me improve my work! I even updated this weeks chapter early from my phone cause I didn't want you guys to wait until I got home from a weekend in New York! So enjoy!

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Chapter XXXIII: Ocean

Ryou was pleasant company, Yugi discovered—more so when he became lost in the thrall of his passion. He looked no older than Yugi, with a childishly round face and frail build, not bulky enough for a soldier and not bony enough to be a sailor. His hands were smooth but his fingers were calloused from years at his trade, and with his youthful face and round eyes, it made Yugi curious as to how old he had been when he started his apprenticeship. And how old he must've been when he joined Timaeus' service, but he dare not ask something so personal so soon. As pleasant as he was being now, Yugi had no illusions of his position, and he had no desire to test the sharpness of the knife's edge.

"How long 'till we reach Locri?" he asked, a mixture of curiosity and caution. His fingers spread along the worn map, inching towards the shores of his old home, then up towards what would be his new one. His heart raced with equal parts excitement and fear. What would it be like to land on those shores? Would the people greet him openly with warm smiles and applaud, or would they simply humor him so as not to offend the Trierarch's choice? The crew had already made their opinions clear, but had the small folk also been partial to the open secret? Perhaps they had once, from what Rhebekka had told him, but the question was: did they still?

Ryou favored him with a raised brow. Thumb and forefinger curled under his chin as he studied the distance. "A good question. The Eye is easily Atlantis' fastest ship and the winds and current were favorable on the journey south, but the North is a different beast."

Ryou spoke the Aramaic tongue fluently, with only the slightest trace of a Canaanite accent. Possessing a natural lore and talent for cartography and charts, he'd been plying the Great Sea for nearly half his life—as chart keeper, mapmaker, and eventually Sailing Master. The Eye of Timaeus was his first and last ship, he'd stated with a firm, loyal pride.

"How so?" Yugi asked curiously.

"The Great Sea is no normal sea. She's locked on all but a small side, and the current is unpredictable because of it. Traveling north, the chances are strong that the wind will be against us. Depending on the Trierarch's preference, he may favor the oars rather than the sails, but the absence of either will increase the voyage tremendously. I trust we'll all be oarsmen soon."

"There are no separate oarsmen?" Yugi recalled the first time he'd glimpsed at the strong, able-bodied men while running errands for Rhebekka. They didn't look like soldiers, but were also too fit to be war captives, so he brushed it off as an expense to board more soldiers.

"Aye," Ryou explained. "Every soldier on this ship is a sailor and every sailor is an oarsman. The Trierarch is brilliant like that," he spoke with praised admiration. "No oarsmen means we can transport more soldiers, and with the soldiers as oarsmen, they stay strong despite the long journey," Ryou chuckled. "He hates idleness, your husband—says it makes soldiers fat and lazy and all but useless in battle, and he'll be damned before he has useless men representing Locri and Atlantis in battle."

"Aye," Yugi agreed with the strategy. "Your best estimate, then?"

"At least a month. Maybe more." The answer was simple and factual.

Yugi couldn't understand why he felt so disappointed.

"Have you ever been to the sea?" Ryou asked suddenly.

The question caught Yugi off-guard and he shook his head. "No, but I've longed to see it. Timaeus tells me it's beautiful."

"It is," Ryou agreed. "But I'd better warn you: it's one thing to view the Great Sea and another to ride her. If this is your first time, I recommend you eat light and stay close to the Quartermaster. The strong winds and rough waters don't always agree with some," he added with a sly chuckle.

The old Yugi would've protested any remark that accused him of weakness. Instead, he chuckled back and thanked him for the warning.

They were still laughing when the State Room doors opened, and Timaeus regarded them with a bewildered expression, not at all like his earlier mask of terror-invoking rage.

Ryou bowed low from head to torso, bent slightly over the table in a grand, submissive show of respect. Yugi made no such movement and only regarded his new companion with a blink of surprise.

"My Trierarch," Ryou spoke low and properly with acknowledgement, and no small amount of respect.

The Trierarch regarded him with a nod then said, "I wish to speak with my consort. Find Rhebekka and take the helm," he said simply, but not as cold as he had before.

Ryou bowed and did as he was bid. The door shut behind him, leaving Yugi alone with his husband. A husband whom, as Yugi just now recalled, expressly forbade him from speaking with the staff after the morning's incident. Yugi hadn't meant to disobey the request, yet he couldn't deny that he would've, had he been of a mind clear enough to remember.

Squaring his shoulders and using a cautious glare, Yugi asked, "Is there trouble?" Their last argument was still fresh in his memory.

"No more than usual," Timaeus said with a shrug, but the glitter in his eyes betrayed the nonchalant expression. "Though I do remember you were not to speak to any of my crew just yet." The scolding was at best mocking.

"You did," Yugi admitted. "But it's my crew now, too. I should start conversing with the ones who don't wish to see me gutted."

Timaeus blinked, pondering the answer, then exhaled a long sigh and shook his head with an amused smile. "Very true. No matter." He repetitively curled his pointer finger, the slightest hint of a smile tugging at his lips. "Come. I want to show you something."

He offered a hand. Yugi was inclined not to take it, but he was still a curious creature and accepted what he was offered.

Timaeus took it graciously and led him up the stern's steps with all the haste and eagerness of an excited child.

Yugi barely glimpsed the swabbing crew before the men bolted to their respective places without an ounce of hesitation.

"Where are you leading me?" he asked, bewildered.

Timaeus winked with the playful, knowing smirk of a man with a secret—one he couldn't wait to reveal.

"We're about to pass the Tanitic Lake," he explained with a pleased glint. "You told me once that you've never seen the sea."

Yugi gasped, surprised. His lips parted with a question, but no sound came out.

"Of course I remembered," Timaeus answered the unasked question with a tease.

He didn't wait for a response, and gently led Yugi up the plank to the stern. Atum-Ra hung low in the sky, bathing all—even the water—in hell red and gold. The Eye skimmed across the water like a dragonfly. Her wings unfurled to catch the breeze, and her oars were rising and falling in perfect rhythm. Then suddenly, they all rose at once, straight like a second set of wings and retracted back into her hull.

A moment later, the crew and hands below deck scrambled out of the lower deck entrances like a swarm of insects and climbed the rafters like a cluster of spiders. Rhebekka came scrambling out, Timaeus shouted a single order, and The Eye burst into a frenzy of activity. Yugi saw the reason why—rising,barely visible, over the rolling hills of pale blue water.

The cape, an enormous island of sand that barricades the lake from the sea on all but its head and tail, rose swiftly like a shark about to strike.

Timaeus barked an order and the riggers yanked hard. The sails unfurled and The Eye's wings flexed, catching the rising ocean wind. Ryou stood at the helm, then relinquished the wheel to the Trierarch without a command. Timaeus gave the wheel a sharp turn and the ship banked right, sailing straight for the small stretch of sea between the land and island.

"You're certain of the tide?" Timaeus demanded of Ryou. A nod was the only answer. "Bank right," he barked, and threw his weight into the turn. Yugi watched him closely, then looked past the stern. The ship spun hard, avoiding the sandbar and deeper into the darker waters.

Timaeus turned to the crew. "All hands! Step forward!"

Yugi watched as the oars once again launched from the side like a second set of wings, and with a powerful push—the wind and current parallel to the launch—the dragon flew. Her hull glided across the rough waves, her wings flexed, preparing for flight.

Yugi's heart hammered. The island drawing closer, Kemet faded behind him—though he dare not look—and the Great Green of the Unknown approached swiftly. He swallowed a breath and choked on it, momentarily forgetting to breathe. His legs suddenly wobbled and he felt himself sway. He wasn't surprised when an expectant arm caught him with a practiced catch. It should've embarrassed him. Instead, he was grateful for it.

"Don't close your eyes, love," Timaeus whispered, his eyes soft. "You'll miss it."

With a final gust of wind, the ship cleared the sandbar and she flew like a dragon with a perfect glide into the open sky and sea.

As the ship left the lake and the world changed, the air cooled and the wind picked up, the small ripples becoming a wise current and churning tiny whirlpools, and all the color of the land disappeared—leaving the vast, infinite openness of the sea and sky.

It was breathtaking.

With Kemet behind him, the Great Green spread before him in a vast, uninterrupted stretch of dark blue. The horizon and tide blended together in a single blurred line. The water shimmered in the reflection of the setting sun. The sky, bathed with an explosion of colors like it was painted with fire, kissed the sea's glossy surface—an all-embracing canvas of infinite color.

Yugi spun around, taking it in from all sides and found himself overwhelmed. Like he was standing in the center of infinity. Lost in the glorious state between dreams and waking, between clarity and true peace. Was this the primal ocean that has birthed the Great Sun and swallowed the world every night? The bottomless blackness of chaos the Demon Serpent called home?

The salty air was cool and refreshing and tasted sweet on his tongue. Wind swept through his hair like the soft fingers of a tender lover and played with the loose folds of his clothes. The embrace was warm and inviting, tempting his spirit to soar.

No, he decided. This can't be the primal sea. If anything, this must be what paradise feels like.

"Does it please you?" Timaeus fancies him with a small smile.

"It's..." He could find no words for it. "Why did you bring me here?" he asked in a voice full of awe and amazement.

Timaeus' answer was a simple smile. "You've never been to the sea, have you? I thought you might fancy a glance."

It was a touching gesture, Yugi thought. One he certainly didn't deserve after their sparring words only hours ago, he realized with awkward shame.

"So does it please you?" Timaeus asked again, soft as a kiss. His embrace tightened around Yugi's slim waist.

Yugi gazed out at the horizon darkened by the Atum fading into the abyss. Even at its darkest moment, it shimmered: beautiful and polished like smooth obsidian glass, and there was nothing gentle about the massive swells beneath the waves. The rough waves moved fast curbing whirlpools before dragging back into the sea and promising to hold whatever it caught in its grip forever.

It was a beautiful but harsh mistress. Beautiful, but chaotic. Heartbreakingly wild and just as deadly. But in it carries the rugged hardships of a life of struggle, the heartbreaking happiness of a life free from restriction and the chains of the past, and the constant promise of a harsh reality—yet also the beauty of granted impossibilities, the boundless courage of hope and the exuberant wonder of infinite choice and new things unexplored, the promise of a new adventure each day, and a test of survival.

It was pure freedom; the chaotic ocean, he realized, was primal, beautiful, and untamed. He could understand why Apep wanted to return the world to it, and why Ra struggled so fiercely to make sure he never succeeded—and most of all, why Timaeus loved it. The sea offered what the chaos of the past did not—a choice—and his heart fluttered with the realization that now he was bestowed the same gift.

Tearfully, he could think of only one word to describe it."It's breathtaking."

Timaeus smiled; with one hand still on the hull, he placed the other on Yugi's shoulder. "I am pleased."

"Thank you," Yugi said before he could stop himself. "For making sure I didn't miss it." It was a touching gesture, he had to admit.

" 'Tis the least I can do for my consort," he smiled sweetly. His gaze swept across the sea, and he spun to Yugi. "Just wait until we are home. You'll not find a lovelier coast or a more beautiful sea."

Home, Yugi thought, completely aware he'd meant Locri and it was their home. He'd imagined the beautiful city every time Timaeus described it: surrounded by the sea and facing the open shore, houses built on stilts and into cliffs and everything surrounded by water. It seemed a far-off fantasy compared to vast deserts and stone palaces he'd known all his life, but the more he imagined it, the more fascinating it seemed. He wondered if, perhaps one day, he could call it home. The way the Precinct of Amun had once been home, and the way Djanet has once been home. He wondered if the Magister's palace and Locri would ever feel like home.

Their home. Together. With Timaeus. The thought suddenly frightened him. A prickle of apprehension raced up his spine, making him shiver. He brushed Timaeus' hands away with a nervous swat and squared his shoulders stubbornly. "I still haven't forgiven you."

Timaeus scowled for a bit then smirked—his eyes alight with the challenge. The sight filled Yugi with both excitement and dread.

"Well then…" One hand loosely gripping the wheel, Timaeus leaned closer. His hot breath dusted Yugi's cheek ravishingly. His emerald eye burned with hunger, the pale other with resolve. "It seems I will just have to find other means of pleasing you," he said, low and harsh with promise.

This wasn't the Trierarch he'd sparred with moments earlier,or the Guardian whose hidden face of soft regret he'd caught in glimpses. This was the Man: the smooth-tongued rogue who'd stolen his heart before he'd even realized that it happened.

Against his will, Yugi shivered, but he wasn't about to surrender. "Like those kisses?" Yugi challenged back.

Timaeus, at least, had the courtesy to blink. His single eye carried the faint shadow of a twitch, then he smirked. "You did enjoy them, did you not?" His smile curled when Yugi's expression narrowed.

Of course he had, and they both knew it, but Yugi was not about to admit that to Timaeus or himself. He didn't need to. His silence was enough.

"Had you not, or had you told me otherwise, I would have stopped," he said with a sly grin. "But you didn't." After a deliberate pause, he added with a curved smile, "And on that matter, did you not do the same to me?" Timaeus shot back. "Or have you forgotten our first kiss? Or rather…" His smile curled wickedly. "The first time you kissed me?"

Yugi blushed, remembering. "That was different."

"Aye, it was," Timaeus confirmed. "You were using me to spite the priests. I was simply calling you out on your folly."

"My folly?" Yugi gasped, annoyed.

Timaeus didn't even humor him with a turn. "You sought to avoid me by hiding as you had in Djanet. But fear not, I've learned from that encounter."

Yugi had no response, so he changed his tactic. "And with the crew? Was that calling me out on my folly as well?" came the sharp retort.

Timaeus frowned. "That was your own doing as you well know. I should have fed them all to the sea for such bold dishonor, but your arrogance did you no favors."

There was no answer, so Timaeus dropped the issue and elaborated. "I said I was proud of you for handling your own, and I am. Do you know how many have been able to outwit Otogi, let alone face Malik and Ryou without flinching? Your stance was remarkable." His praise stilled to a small frown. "It's your challenges you need to choose more carefully. If you're going to be bold, make sure the situation is one you can handle, otherwise, your pride will land you in a situation where you are outnumbered." He didn't need to emphasize about earlier.

Yugi said nothing, so Timaeus continued. "I know the situation is difficult for you. In Kemet, you were a prince. You were born into the hierarchy with rights and titles and the respect and admiration of all, regardless of your own abilities. Atlantis has no such structure. Everyone on the ship, including myself, had to earn his keep and his place. You are the Trierarch's Consort now, but that is an empty title if your men do not respect you."

Yugi's fingers curled around the railing, still silent in his defense. He didn't want to admit that Timaeus was right. How many scrimmages had he gotten into back home because he couldn't hold his tongue? Only to come home with bruises and to his mother, and eventually, his sister's scolding? Pas once asked him if it had been worth his hurt pride, both the beating and the scolding—which arguably, coming from Mut, was worse. He had stubbornly refused to answer then, too, but this time was different. This time, it wasn't his brother reprimanding him for being reckless or his sister sternly reminding him to mind his tongue. It was Timaeus, and it stung worse.

"Yugi?" Timaeus regarded him with even eyes and stern irritation. Still, Yugi stubbornly remained silent. He decided to change tactic. "Judging from your silence, you agree with me, then?" he only half-threatened.

Yugi perked up immediately. "I made no such notion," he shrieked, shrill with irritation. "I am not some child to be scolded!" he retorted with so little respect that were he a child,he'd have been slapped for it.

"No," Timaeus said. A reaction at last. He leaned close,voice stern and face stoic, but eyes and smile blazing—one with hunger, the other with challenge. Yugi wasn't sure which excited him more.

"You are my Consort. Soon to be my Magistrate. You shall hold the second most powerful position in Locri and third in all of Atlantis. You will handle all the financial, social, and theological expectations of my house, and handle political and military orders in my absence." The words rolled off his tongue in proud, expectant quips laced with resolve and no small amount of affection.

The pride in his eyes made Yugi shiver. Apprehension chilled his blood. He wanted nothing more than to look away,but those blazing eyes left him paralyzed.

Sensing Yugi's hesitation, Timaeus added earnestly, "I did not tell you this to scold you, sweetling—only to make you aware of your station and what it will entitle. It is you who must show them just how worthy you are of it." A hand rose to cup Yugi's cheek tenderly. "And there is only so much I can do to assist you…" He paused for a moment, reflecting that notion. "I know you'll make a splendid Consort."

Timaeus' eyes softened. It was so easy to imagine a life with this one: to imagine waking to his smile every morning, and falling asleep with him in his arms… To imagine him trembling under his touch and teasing him with kisses… Yugi wasn't shy and Timaeus rather liked that playfulness about him. He could imagine that playfulness as part of their marriage bed. He could see Yugi running and racing across the deck in a storm while everyone else hid below, or hiding his boots and refusing to reveal them without one more kiss. It sounded like bliss.

"And I fully intend to earn your love again," he whispered into Yugi's hair. "I could give you so much, Yugi. I will… I will do whatever is in my power to make you happy." The promise was so fierce, it made Yugi shiver again.

He would, too; Yugi knew. He would be a good husband to him. He would make Yugi happy; the question was: did he want him to? It was the question that taunted him with all his hopes and dreams and filled him with an all-consuming fear. And yet he wanted so much to hope.

For a brief moment, Yugi considered what it would be like to just surrender. To let himself become part that world—of Timaeus' world—and have all his dreams of adventuring at his side as companions, and perhaps even lovers, become more than just simple dreams for children. He realized, only in that moment, that he wanted that more than anything, but a part of him still trembled, knowing that if he did accept him, if he fell into those arms again—he'd be lost.

Sensing Yugi's control slipping, Timaeus slowly slid closer."So much…" His lips hovered tantalizingly close to Yugi's,teasing him.

The words rang with truth, Yugi realized. His face was paling, though his skin was unbearably hot. That same beautiful smile that seduced him with promises and made it harder to stay to his oath of not forgiving Timaeus just yet…

It was getting harder and harder to resist him and all he promised. But he couldn't surrender. No matter how much his soul pleaded to his body to betray him. If he let himself fall—let himself surrender—and let those promises seduce him again and it was just a ploy, he'd have nothing left.

Timaeus leaned closer, so close, all Yugi had to do was step forward and he would kiss his smile, but he dare not move—not when Timaeus' eye flickered with an emotion so wild that Yugi couldn't distinguish it from lust or excitement. "There will be no doors, no locks, no secrets between us, I promise you." His words ghosted over Yugi's lips, tantalizingly close and heartbreakingly warm. "None but the ones in your own heart." Another promise. Another truth. "All you need to do is open it…" He was so close, Yugi couldn't breathe. All he had to do was lean up and the man would be his. He closed his eyes, his lips parting. All he had to do was say yes, and all he promised would come true—or he'd fall so deep inside himself, inside the anguish of deception and heartbreak, that he'd never again be able to climb out and find himself.

"No!" His lips parted in a scream and he shoved him away, suddenly overcome with foreboding.

"No?" Timaeus blinked, confused and eyes bright with hurt. Had he gone too far? He took a step closer but Yugi jumped back, glaring at him—a new defiance suddenly heating his blood.

"Stop it!" Yugi spat. Timaeus retracted his hand like it was suddenly burned, confusion and remorse etched his features into that of the failed Guardian. Stop looking at me like that, Yugi growled to himself, suddenly angry, but it wasn't at Timaeus. His pride suddenly flared to life and he spat, "You can't seduce me with kisses! That is why your crew doesn't respect me! They think I'm your whore!"

Yugi regretted the words as soon as he said them, but pride fired his blood and anger was hot in his veins, and it needed to lash out at anyone but the true cause of it.

Timaeus looked at him with a face full of hurt—then he narrowed his eyes glaringly at the accusation. His already thinning patience finally snapped. Fingers curled into fists at his sides. Fine, he growled in his mind. If he wants to play the martyr and me, the villain…

"Oh, they do, do they?" Timaeus said with a shrug, yet his tone was anything but humorous. "Well, we'll certainly need to put an end to that, then. So we'll start your training as my consort and your chores tomorrow."

Yugi blinked, bewildered and unable to process the words. "Chores?" he choked out, apprehensive.

"Everyone on my ship must work, even me and even you," Timaeus said as naturally and effortlessly as one expected the sun to rise in the morning. "And if that is to be the way of it, until my men can learn to behave and I can trust you to hold your tongue, I shall accompany you wherever you go."

"You can't—"A protest formed on Yugi's lips, but he was quickly silenced.

"Until we reach Locri, I'm not letting you out of my sight," Timaeus promised. "Henceforth, you are under my protection and my guidance." He smirked like a master with a new apprentice. Yugi might as well be one, but instead, the opportunity made him furious.

"Don't do me any favors!" Yugi screeched with a shrill of infuriation, his temper flaring in annoyance.

Timaeus' smirk curled at the corners—the same smirk he wore whenever he saw Yugi frazzled. His next words rolled into a giggle. "Oh, you can be sure of that, love." The new nickname sent a shiver down Yugi's spine, but it wasn't of dread. "You can be sure of that."

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(Queen sips her wine with four passed out kuribohs in her lap and Strawberry (pink) on her shoulder snickering) don't worry my wonderful readers I DO have a plan! It's just taking some time for it to come in to fruitation but it will soon! Starting next chapter ;) I got the next two planned out and plotted I just have some plot holes to figure out and then I gotta type them :) then if all goes well we can start getting I to the chapters I REALLY wanna write ;)

Glossary:

The Great Sea — this was the common name for the Mediterranean Sea during the Phoenician era and during much of the Ancient World. Oceans and Seas had no names in this period and since there wasn't much travel West or East of Africa, the Mediterranean was considered the primary or main ocean, hence the name.

Canaanite — a branch of the Aramaic dialect spoken mostly by the Phoenicians or those who traveled by sea to foreign countries, basically it was the root language or common tongue of those around the coast, and I felt it would be appropriate as the main language of Atlantis, given the whole thing is on the ocean.

Tanitic Lake — little recap, this was the Ancient Egyptian/Coptic name for the modern Lake Manzala, where the mouth of the Nile River spills into the Mediterranean Sea,and named after the Tanitic Branch of the Nile River, which in those days was the primary waterway and entrance to the then-capital city of Djanet (modern Tanis). It has silted over today.

Note about the Primal Ocean:

The Primal Ocean Yugi is referring to comes from the Ancient Egyptian Legend of Creation, where there was nothing but the primal ocean of chaos (a.k.a. space) until one day, a mound rose from the ocean and became the Sun a.k.a. Amun/Ra, who then had Tefnut and Shu (moisture and Air respectively) who then had Nut the Sky, and Geb the Earth. Apep, was the demon snake who lived in the Chaotic Sea and every night when Amun-Ra, the sun, set and traveled through the underworld, Apep attached his ship—hoping that by swallowing Amun-Ra in his weakest moment, he could then swallow the earth and return everything to chaos. Fortunately, this never occurred because Seth, the second son of Geb and Nut, after Osiris, protected Ra in his weakest moment by slaying the Serpent every night, as he was the strongest of the Gods and thus the only one capable of doing so, and Seth himself was the God of Chaos (but natural chaos, such as floods and storms which were extremely powerful and dangerous, but in turn kept the soil fertile and protected Egypt from Invaders). So Yugi's reference to Apep and the Primal Ocean in this scene refers to this story.

as always read review reply critique comment ask questions post theories and go nuts! I'm so excited to see what you guys come up with!

_**Next Update: **September 19th_

**_Next Time: _**_Yugi and Timaeus share a meal and actually manage to have a civilized conversation. Timaeus makes a move and Yugi get's some rather eye-opening advice.__  
_


	34. Chapter XXXIV: Duties

OH MY GOD THIS ONE MADR THE DEADLINE (angel choir) due to an especially hellish work week (and by that i mean i had to pick up the slack of some who will not be mentioned and dealing with crap from my boss, I literally did not get this chapter finished until Friday evening. THANK GOD FOR ONE HOUR LUNCH BREAKS and NAPTIMES! I SWEAR!

Dedications for this go entirely to Val and Armamintheipswich, for being the best betas EVER! No joke soon as i told them the situation they got this back to me in just one day and my wonderfull grammar knight had a 12 hour time zone diff so, this one is all you girl! (GLOMPS!)

FOR ALL MY READERS: PLEASE READ THE NOTES AT THE END!

As always, read, review, reply, comment, critiqu, ask questions, post theories and concerns and flames must have a reason! Hope you all enjoy!

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_Chapter XXIV: Duties  
_

Yugi awoke to the obnoxious bellow of horns blasting the next morning. The noise was so sudden that he awoke with a shriek and thrashed about until he landed on the floor with an embarrassing thump.

"Are you alright?" Timaeus was already awake and dressed. He looked down at him, eyes curious with concern. He had exchanged his heavy emerald armor for his silver skin-hugging under-armor—and it clung tightly to his form and only the belt that covered his hips and thighs remained, for which Yugi was grateful.

"Why didn't you wake me?" Yugi demanded, more embarrassed than angry. As one of the Per-A'Ah's children, he was used to waking before dawn. But in the confines of Timaeus' chamber, the forecastle's horizontal windows—always parallel to the sea and facing the rear—made it difficult to see when Amun rose and set.

Timaeus merely shrugged at the outburst. "You looked tired. I thought you would prefer sleep. If you are awake then you can change in the privy." He gestured a thumb to the adjacent wash room and privy chamber reserved only for the Captain and those of rank.

Immediately, Yugi looked down at himself. He'd been so worn out by the day before that he nearly collapsed as soon as they'd returned to the Trierarch's quarters. He couldn't remember if he ate anything—or if he even changed his clothes. He was so tired. To his relief, the silks he wore were still in place, though ruffled from sleep. The wrinkles smoothed themselves upon standing and he understood why the Locrians preferred the material.

"Why do you look so relieved?" Timaeus asked with a hint of a snap.

Yugi glared at him, expecting a fight. Instead, Timaeus regarded him with a sly smile, his hard eyes suddenly twinkling with mischief.

"Do you think me so roguish as to strip you while you slept? Do you truly think so little of me?" he feigned hurt.

Yugi, at least, had the grace to blush.

Timaeus only chuckled. "Rest assured, my darling, it is never my desire to make you uncomfortable," he promised. "And if that includes undressing you then I shall, of course, refrain." The smile curled with a tease. "Unless, of course, you _wish_ me to."

Summoning the last of his dignity, Yugi rose from the floor, dusted himself off, and strutted towards the wardrobe without so much as a glance in Timaeus' direction. He thumbed through different fabrics, silks, and linens all in similar styles—longer and sleeker and poised to cover as much skin as possible without hindering movement, and definitely Locrian and all foreign under his fingertips. Though wrinkled and crisp from sleep, his attire remained smooth but the looseness made him feel naked and exposed. His fingers brushed the smooth, slippery, but strong material of Timaeus' under-armor—a protection so feather-light.

"Can I have one of these?" he asked, boldly but hesitantly.

Timaeus' smiled dropped to a gape. "That?" He tried to mask his surprise at the question, but failed. A confused hand pointed to the sets, a thinly-veiled gesture of confirmation.

Yugi nodded, his pale cheeks reddening. "Well, I need to act as your right hand," he elaborated shyly. "Best I look more like a Trierarch than a Lord's bride."

Timaeus considered that for a moment. "There is logic in that, and yet…" He smiled as he approached the wardrobe and ran a hand over the garments. He glanced at Yugi and sized him up quickly. "I'm uncertain if any are your size…" There was a shyness to his voice that sounded almost unnatural compared to his usual confident baritone. "But you are welcome to try," he added quickly.

Wandering fingers found a smaller suit—older than the rest, yet not the least bit faded by time. "Ah, yes." He pulled it out to examine it, eyes brightening. "Try this one." He thrust it into Yugi's startled arms, and ushered him into their shared privy. Yugi blinked, but did not argue.

He emerged from the privy a few minutes later, the silks bundled in his arms. It clung loosely, and hung off his slimmer build.

"I'm afraid the lad who wore it before you was a size too tall when he was your age."

"A boy?" Yugi asked curiously, suddenly feeling uncomfortable.

Timaeus noticed the twitch and grinned. "Ah, yes, about your age. A very foolish lad: very handsome, very strong, very quick to anger." A fond chuckle bubbled in his throat. He hadn't failed to notice the twitch in Yugi's lips, or the green glow hardening his eyes. Bright-eyed, he added, "And the most stubborn creature His Majesty ever brought to the Atlantian Court."

A flicker of understanding passed over Yugi's features, his jealousy retracting and replaced with an amused snort. "This was yours." There was no question in the words.

"From my earliest days in Atlantis," Timaeus admitted, unable to hold back a laugh. With a small step forward, he slipped his fingers behind Yugi's neck and tightened the lacings. "Back when I was _naively_ young, _ridiculously_ bold, and _unbearably_ stupid," he punctured each adjective with a drawn-out groan of impatience. "And far too stubborn to realize what I'd been given."

"Were you really? Tell me the truth!" Yugi snickered. He tried to imagine Timaeus, wild and savage as a youth on the cusp of manhood.

Timaeus pulled the last lacing a little too tight. His lips curled to a smirk. When he pulled his hands away, one settled on Yugi's shoulder and the other bent his chin in an elegant curve to meet Timaeus' fraternal eyes of glittering emerald and enigmatic pearl. "I was twice as stubborn as you, my tongue was just as sharp, and my wit was at least a thousand times more vulgar. 'Twas a miracle of the King's patience. I should've been lashed every day. I would've deserved it."

Yugi pulled away, unable to suppress a roar of laughter. Timaeus grinned.

"How old must you have been?" Yugi asked between snickers, gesturing to the looseness of it.

"Oh, I was about your age. I was just this much taller." He waved a teasing hand a good few inches above the tips of Yugi's hair. Yugi snorted in derision, eyes narrowed.

"I'm only jesting," Timaeus chuckled then sighed. "Telling the truth, it didn't fit me quite right either." He sounded almost sad. "I was always more of a sailor than a warrior, I'm afraid." He said it so longingly and so quietly that, for a moment, Yugi wondered if he was speaking to himself. He opened his mouth to elaborate but Timaeus silenced him with a gesture. "No matter now." The playful smile had returned but the longing had not left his eyes—yet it was so small a flicker, Yugi would never have noticed it had he not been looking.

"Come, let's break our fast." He gestured him off with a small shove to his back.

The morning feast was a spread of plump figs, fleshy pears, juicy-looking pomegranates, bunches of plump green grapes, honey-sweetened cakes, and a round of bread. Only when Yugi smelled the sweet, tangy aroma of juice and the fresh pungent smell of bread and salt had he realized that it had been nearly a full day since he last ate. His belly ached to be filled and his mouth watered, dry and famished. His limbs ached to move but his steps were slow with forced courtesy.

Timaeus quickly took notice of the sudden stiffness and gave him an assured smile. "There's no need for that," he urged with a gentle push. "I'm aware you've not eaten since yestermorn, and as it is only us, there is really no need to impress."

Yugi's eyes turned bright and hopeful.

"You _must _be hungry," came the reassurance.

Discarding all courtesy, Yugi plopped into a chair and launched himself at the food. He was halfway through a honey cake when he grabbed another. Both were followed by a handful of grapes and a large gulp of mead. It tasted earthy and barley, and left a dry aftertaste following so much sweetness.

Timaeus sat down a little more formally and smiled as he watched Yugi eat. He pulled off his gloves one finger at a time and set them near the end of the table, and split a pomegranate with a kitchen dirk.

"Pomegranate, love?" Timaeus offered with a slight wink.

Yugi wiped his mouth on his sleeve and set the cup of mead down to grab it. "Thank you," he nodded, remembering that courtesy. Sparing a glance at his sticky fingers and the status of his plate, he bowed his head low, cheeks pinking. "I must have been hungrier than I thought."

"Indeed," Timaeus chuckled, amused, and scooped out a handful of pomegranate seeds. All at once, he popped them into his mouth and licked his lips. He looked devilish then, like a little boy plotting mischief. It was so unlike his normal behavior—so unlike the chivalrous, well-kept knight who courted him—that Yugi decided he liked that face and began pondering ways on how to bring it back into play.

He bit into the seeds, juice trickling down his chin. They were ripe and sweet like fine wine and summer nights. He swallowed with a hum of pleasure nearly shuttered.

"Good?" Timaeus teased.

"Delicious," Yugi nodded, wiping the juice from his chin until Timaeus provided him with a cloth.

"I love the juice myself," he confessed, wiping his hands clean. "But I can't stand the sticky fingers." He gestured to his gloves at his side. "I've ruined many a pair, I assure you."

He wiped his lips with his thumb and threaded his fingers together under his chin—the amusement of the Man gone from his face and the all-business Trierarch returning to replace it. "Now then, had Rhebekka spoken to you of your role at all? Duties, arrangements—that sort of thing?"

Yugi paused. "She spoke some," he admitted. "Only about certain differences with staffing management that I needed be aware of, what my duties will be and…" he paused and blushed. "And that we'll be sharing a chamber… and a bed." The blush darkened.

For an instance, Timaeus' gaze softened, the Rogue looking amused like he was biting back a tease, but the Man regarded him with kind and understanding eyes. Then the Trierarch returned and smiled. "Well, we've already discussed that particular bit of business." Despite the courtesy, the words felt and sounded awkward on his tongue, even nervous. "Has she spoken of anything else?"

"Not in detail," Yugi shook his head.

"I see," Timaeus nodded and paused to consider his next words. "Let us start by asking what your understanding of the Magistrate position is, then."

Yugi squared his shoulders. "It means that I am your consort, and as the younger of this marriage, thus I hold the position of lesser responsibility. I will organize marriages, tend to agreements over dowries, run the household expenses and the staff, plan parties and feasts, and take care of everyone. Births, funerals, healing illnesses, and agricultural…" He listed all he remembered from his and Rhebekka's conversation.

It was a curt answer, and Timaeus disliked it. "True," he cut Yugi off, wanting nothing more than to break through that armor of politeness. "However, it is much more than that." His fingers moved to palm the back of Yugi's hand. Yugi didn't flinch. "Think of the Magister and Magistrate as the monarchs of a lion pride."

Yugi immediately perked up at the reference. Timaeus smiled. "The Magister is the Leader, the Warrior, and the Protector. My duty is all external factors: I shall handle politics and trade outside our country, handle things like war, enforcing laws, passing judgments, protecting our borders, and training soldiers and ship hands."

Yugi nodded.

"_Your _duties, however," Timaeus began, "Are much more cultural and central. The Magistrate owns all the island's _internal_ affairs. Yes, this includes basic things like household finances and dowries, but more importantly, you will be responsible for the aid of everyone on the island—spiritual aid, their health concerns and assisting with healing illnesses, and the like. They will seek your advice and guidance on marriages and possible suitors. It will be you they turn to for such matters, not I."

Yugi's eyes widened. "Health concerns?"

"Yes," Timaeus answered. "All matters related to life and death have been strictly reserved for women. As such, you will be responsible for not just the physical, but the spiritual: births and blessing of children, arrangements of funerals and blessings of the deceased, and all events held in the temples such as marriages, festivals honoring the gods—and music, which is very important to Locri's spiritual and cultural tradition, will also be yours to command. Again, traditionally, these are restricted to women, but as you are my consort and a former hem-netjer of Mut-Sekhmet, I believe an exception can readily be made."

His tone was bright, but Yugi only felt nervous. "And you?"

Timaeus nodded. "Me, they shall turn to for justice, but _you_ they will look to for guidance and aid."

He paused to let the information sink. Yugi's eyes widened and he offered his hand a gentle squeeze. Yugi relaxed slightly into the touch and Timaeus softened his voice before he continued. "Do not fear, love. I know you are more than capable. I shall help you and so will my staff." He squeezed Yugi's hand again reassuringly. "I'm confident that, in time, they will adore you as I do."

It was the first time he'd said anything like that out loud and Yugi's chest suddenly tightened. He suddenly became all too aware of Timaeus' hand holding his and felt overwhelmed—but by what, he wasn't sure.

"I will not let you stumble." The words were meant to be reassuring, but Yugi only grimaced and pulled his hand away.

"Of course you won't," he said aloud. And looked down at his hands.

Timaeus said nothing, but his lips pulled into a thin line, his eyes dark with aggravation.

"I'll leave you to think on this, then," Timaeus said, sharp with closure.

Yugi didn't know whether to feel relieved or disappointed.

"Are you finished?" he gestured a hand to Yugi's plate, piled high with honey cake crumbs, pomegranate skins, and the cores of figs. He wiped his mouth on a cloth and nodded.

"Good," Timaeus clapped his hands. The bare skin made a snap when they collided. "Then once you've cleaned yourself up, we can begin our daily duties." He pulled on his gloves and gestured a hand for Yugi to follow.

Yugi nodded and wiped his hands clean, his posture aloof and unsurprised. Timaeus arched a brow. He'd been expecting at least a grimace, but if anything, Yugi looked nonchalant.

"What shall we be doing today, then? Steering the ship or advising the men?" The question came in an almost-relaxed tone.

Confusion made Timaeus blink. Then understanding curled his lips into a smile. "Actually…" he drew out the word, deliberately teasing. "We shall start by restocking the kitchen. Rhebekka's planning on something hearty this week, so we shall need to bring her at least a few crates."

Yugi froze in mid-step and shot up, eyes expanding. "Wait," he gasped. "You mean _we _will be bringing them to her?" he asked, confused and with poorly-masked dread.

Timaeus smirked teasingly. "Of course. And once we're finished with that, we shall organize the rest, re-rig the sails, repair the mast, and if we have time, we can start chipping some of the barnacles off _The Eye_." He said the last part with an affectionate pat against the wall.

Yugi's face paled from pink to colorless. "B-B-But what about the crew? Surely they—"

"_They_," Timaeus cut him off, "Will be spending the day as oarsmen. The current is favorable but the damn wind turned traitorous last night, so we shall be rowing for the next few days," he said with a snort, then added with a smirk, "And when they are not rowing, they will be spending every waking moment making my ship spotless until they've proved to me that they can behave."

That brought Yugi no comfort. His brain scrambled for another answer. "Then, perhaps Rhebekka will need me? You said yourself I'm an excellent healer!"

Timaeus couldn't resist a grin. _Even defeated, he continues to fight_. He sighed and shook his head. "There are no wounded right now, and Rhebekka has her hands full cooking at the moment, but she's more than capable of doing it herself. Had she needed help, I assure you, the whole ship would be hearing of it." His words were a hearty chuckle, but Yugi's face only looked more and more horrified at the thought of manual labor.

"Besides," Timaeus added. "You said yourself last night that the crew will not respect you unless you become one of them. They will not respect you if you hide away in your comfort zone, correct?"

Yugi's mouth twisted into a protest then froze upon opening when his bold request came back to him. Frozen, his mind scrambled for something—anything—that could form a workable answer. No ideas came.

"Surely you are not opposed to some manual labor?" Yugi stared at Timaeus' triumphant grin and glared.

"I'm sure I can manage," Yugi boasted with a humble undertone. His shoulders squared and a proud nose rose as he walked past.

Timaeus' smirk curled with pride. He was still there: that feisty, fiery prince he'd longed to call his own.

All it needed was a little push.

* * *

**Grammar Knight's Glossary:**

dirk - is a long thrusting dagger.

This Chapter was most Timaeus' pov which was fine cause he needed more spotlight and i wanted to do more with their 2-hour meal sessions than just recap boring details so hope this offered some clarify on just WHAT yugi will be doing when they get to Atlantis ;)

Originally this chap was gonna be longer, but after some SERIOUS debate and editing with myself i decided to keep this scene and cut the ideas i wanted to do into the next chapter where i could change the style of events and then in chapter 36 have the first big plot twists i planned on with Rhebekka! So because of that a lot of stuff that I promised would be in this chapter will actually be in the next chapters. So sorry about that ^^' I'm so excited i can't wait! and hopefully after that i can get into the Fun stuff ;)

thank you all so much for the ideas and feedback it keeps me going and inspires me!

ADDITIONAL NOTES: PLEASE READ OR AT LEAST SKIM:

**Writer's blog Idea:**

I've also been wondering about a pet-project I've been working on: should I start a writer's blog in my profile since a lot of people have asked me for writing advice and other relations, so what i was thinking of doing is starting a blog i can do here or on Deviantart or even as my own blog, where i review books, manga, show, anime etc that I think have effective qualities that writers can learn from: Characterization, Plot and Organization, Dialect and Dialogue, Realism and Setting, originality and plot development, storytelling or just the general uniqueness of a plot or taking a cliches plot and basically just MAKING it unique, cause I've seen some BAD ones and some AMAZINGLY good ones as well. Here are some i'd like to evaluate in depth:

Phantom Thief Jeanne (manga)

Dictatorial Grimmoire (manga)

Over The Garden Wall (Anime/cartoon)

Star vs the Forced of Evil (anime/cartoon)

Gravity Falls (anime/cartoon)

Teenane Mutant Ninja Turtles 2012-Present (cartoon/anime)

The Land of Stories Series (novel series)

A Modern Faery Tale Series (Novels by Holly Black)

and others...

So if anyone would be interested let me know!

_**Timaeus Updates: **_

It is official! Timaeus WILL become an original story! I already decided who the main character will be: she'll be a female still playing on the role of her being the youngest child of Pinedjam I and his second wife, and her name will still be Ujalah, but her nick name will be Haja (habibi Ujalah) and Timaeus, will be his same personality but loosely based on the actual timaeus of Locri, kinda like mine is already and i already have his appearance (he's keeping his green eyes-debating if he'll have the scar over his left eye or simply be blind in it, since i really like that aspect of his character and how it defines his mystery and origin but I don't want to plaherize the anime, so any ideas?

I also have some darkshipping ideas i plan to write in the future and would like to turn into originals as well which might be my last fics for a while...

Desert Kings: set in Ancient Egypt and loosely based off the Lion King (will contain caste, libra and blueshipping)

Dragon's Wish: (title may change) Loosely based off Aladdin with Atem and Yugi as the Princes and Bakura as Aladdin, Malik as Abu, and Duke, Jono and Haja (Tristan) as their band. Will also contain one-side peach and scandelshipping, with Teana as Iago, and Seth and Aknadin sharing the role of Jafar: Aknadin as his greedy, insane side, and Seth as his power-hungry, arrogant side who also has a lustful obsession with Atem (i seriously can't wait to write this one!)

The King's Lyons: Loosely based on the legends and ballads of Robin Hood and his fellow characters..you may remeber this as being originally puzzleshipping, but honestly the more i thought about it the more i wasn't feeling it (ans you know i refuse to make the story fit the cast, the CHARACTERS have to fit the story...and the more I thought about it and more i researched, the more i realized the Robin Hood character was a cynnical, older character matured by the struggled and hardships of his life, and becomes a thief as a middle finger against a corrupted government and then i thought, who does that sound like ;) then i thought of Maid Marian and how in each of her incarnations she's portrayed as a young woman with noble backgrounds, who often snuck out disguised as a boy and was fiercely loyal, independent and determined to do whatever it takes to help her people...now who does THAT sound like? Thus the new story was born ;)

**_THE FUTURE: _** I also wanna say after i finish Timaeus I will probably be on fanfiction about 75% ;ess, I still read weekly updates, but I don't always have time to read them every day which has become a problem as of late, that I do not like, but I need time to write, so I will probably be writing fanfictions less and won't be updating until I have at least a good chunk of the story done but it all depends, as Timaeus took six months and I'm still making it up as i go because of a huge section that's been giving me issues (ironically everything AFTER that i have plotted out, partially written and ALL that) but Its time for me to take a break and work on my original stories and that also included editing my current stories, finishing my current two novels Red Kings and Wonderland, rewriting Dragon Rose as an original novel, plotting and outlining two new ideas I have that I've been inspired, working on my poetry collections and finally sending things out for publication, so Fanfics will simply be on the back-burner, and i'd like to turn all three of my dark ideas and Bear's wife into original stories as well, so if anything I may make those the rough drafts but for the most part i want to focus on my original stories and actually FINISHING them, so yeah about 85% less...

**_NEXT UPDATE: _**_OCTOBER 3rd (Depending on how fast i get the next few chapters written this may change and I may be able to get back into my once a week schedule. All depends on if work leaves me alone)_

_**NEXT TIME: **__Yugi gets his first taste of good old hard work and the crew gets a taste of him. Ryou makes a decision, Rhebekka makes a declaration and Timaeus finds himself between a rock and a hard place with no way out._


	35. Chapter XXXV: Chores

I AM SO SORRY THIS CHAPTER IS OVER A WEEK LATE! And the blame lies entirely on my job: I SWEAR the increasing demands these last two weeks have nearly killed me! This chapter alone took nearly two weeks to write because i literally had no time to write or was too tired and even my lunch breaks i had to sacrifice due to stress and lack of motivation. And then my poor Grammar Knight had finals, so yes, it was hell, and you all know how much i HATE missing my deadlines ugh! But to make it up to you this is an extra long chapter,cause i know all you sadists have waited patiently to see YUgi get his ass kicked doing chores MWAHAHAHAHA

Anyway...

DISCLAIMER: I only own the plot

DEDICATIONS: The reviewers! your depth, comments and portrayals keep me going and assure me I'm accomplishing all i set out to do with my writing! thank you girls! and to my wonderful Grammar Knight Aramaipswich for getitng this back to me during her finals week! You are a goddess girl!

Now on to the chapter!

* * *

_Chapter XXXV: Chores_

Three days. It had been _three_ days since Yugi began assimilating into his new life on his husband's ship… and all his efforts had ended in disaster.

True to his promise, he and Timaeus had ushered several bags of root vegetables, dried fruits, and salted meat into the kitchen. Timaeus carried all three with little effort; he struggled with just one. Halfway up the second set of stairs, the bag slipped from his weak fingers. Turnips spilled down the steps like a stampede of escaping gazelles. Some more ambitious than the rest even had the gall to jump over two steps at a time, until all of them formed a clustered herd at the foot of the storage hold.

He wasn't even surprised by the round of snickers and veiled snorts that followed. Gathering his dignity, Yugi took up the bag and proceeded to calmly walk down the steps to restock. Timaeus didn't frown when Yugi stole a glance at him. There was no disappointment in his eyes, only a comforting smile. Yugi would've preferred his fury. Even disappointment would have made him feel less guilty.

He tried separating them into two smaller bags, but by the time they reached the galley, the effort had left him embarrassingly exhausted. The thousand scrutinizing eyes sizing him up as he followed Timaeus back down were worse. All were thinking the same thing, he knew: _this _was their Trierarch's chosen, and they were unimpressed. He wanted nothing more than to slink back to the Trierarch's quarters and sink into the bed sheets, up to the tips of his hair. Only his pride kept his back straight and his shoulders squared.

After his second try had left him struggling to keep up, Timaeus offered to transport the goods with a smile, and tasked Yugi with the job of reorganizing the cargo hold. Staring at the chaotic mess, Yugi had never felt so confident. After all, he was trained as a scribe and learned mathematics under the guidance of royal tutors. Surely those skills would make the task easy enough?

It hadn't.

He set to work—hopes rising—but as he sorted through bushels of dried herbs, crates of vegetables, fruits lying against loops of coarse ropes and wrapped sheets, barrels of water, mead, lamp oil, and ink all stacked together, his confidence dissolved. The task of organizing changed themes repeatedly and none were effective. At first, he tried organizing by category, but that backfired when he failed to remember that the water was for both drinking _and _bathing. Next, he tried the more effective method of arranging everything by amounts, but quickly lost interest in the amount of work that would take. By the time his third method failed, he had moved everything at least twice and his entire body ached. Refusing to give up, he finally decided to stack all identical items together along the walls, but his height got in the way and he was forced to stand on another box for support. The ship's constant swaying upset his equilibrium and both he and two of his towers collapsed to the ground.

Ryou rushed to his aid when others arrived to investigate the source of the crash. The arrogant dark-skinned blond he recognized from the day before made a snide comment about Kemet royals being graceful on dry sand, but rather clumsy at sea. Otogi, the arrogant raven-haired man he'd gotten into the scuffle with—and the Boatswain—had taken one look at the upturned buckets of scintillating nails, spoiling vegetables, and wasted mead, and was absolutely _livid_. Yugi didn't blame him. When Otogi finished screaming, Yugi dusted himself off and offered to straighten up, but Otogi barked a sharp "No," and said he'd do it himself. Yugi was about to protest but Otogi's locked jaw and murderous glare dared him to continue. Relenting, he left, but over his shoulder, he heard Ryou snapping up to Yugi's defense.

"I wouldn't trust him to tar the floors!" Their bellowing laughter soon snorted in his ears.

He couldn't even look at Timaeus for the rest of the day.

The second day hadn't been much better.

The wood and waves had served well enough, but the fickle wind had turned traitorous during the night, and so Timaeus had the whole crew up at dawn rigging the sails, adamant that he'd be damned before he let _The Eye_ steer any further off course. Yugi had been among those ordered to assist while Timaeus, Rhebekka, and Ryou took the helm—and he had been determined to prove himself competent to the task. Each time he grabbed for the rope, someone snapped him out of the way, or grabbed it from his hands. Someone flung him a spare and he took it and yanked hard, but the coarse rope felt slippery in his hands. Fibers dug into his palms, scraping him like thorns. Still, he held on, desperately pulling even as his hands clamored to find solid grip. Then the sail stalled, and the rope slipped from his fingers. He barely registered something plummeting towards him before he was barreled to the ground. A pair of strong arms absorbed the shock of the impact.

He blinked several times before Timaeus' vague outline clarified. And so did the loose mast, and the abandoned rope he'd been holding. Only Ryou, Rhebekka, and Timaeus weren't glaring at him. Timaeus wasn't even looking at him at all.

"What happened!?" he barked, pulling them both to their feet. Yugi let him, still shell-shocked.

"Isn't it obvious?" Malik's clip was a restrained grumble. "Couldn't hold onto the rope." He was careful to avoid any names but Yugi knew. They _all_ knew.

"Of course not!" It was Ryou who snapped—the evidence of the event clenched in his hand. He rang it along the rope. It came away damp and shiny. "This rope is caked in oil!"

Yugi looked up at that and he wasn't the only one. Timaeus' eye narrowed.

"What did you expect after the mess the storage room was in yester-eve?" Otogi snapped next.

"Regardless…" It was Ryou who cut off the string of comments rising in all their throats. His soft voice was low and cold, and when he spoke, his words were like a stone dropping into a well. "As the Boatswain, inspecting the ship's sailing, rigging equipment, and reporting any damaged items are in _your_ domain, is it not, Otogi? And attending to _all _the ship's repairs is _Malik's_ duty." Ryou shifted his eyes to the blond who gaped at him, spotlighted in shock. "Perhaps had you two taken better care of your duties, then the mess would not have happened?" It was not a question. Both men gaped at him and turned to the Trierarch for support, but found only cold dismissal. His eyes did not leave them, even as he pulled Yugi to his feet.

"Heaven Forbid," Ryou continued, a smile slitting his face. "Someone could've been harmed by such negligence. Like our Trierarch's consort or even the Trierarch himself." The retort dripped with mockery, and both men knew better than to challenge the threat.

The blond, Malik, gawked—spotlighted: an innocent man convicted of sin… or rather, a man so certain he would _not_ be convicted.

"It matters little how it happened," Yugi clucked in, and the whole crew spun to him. He had felt Timaeus shift but Yugi didn't look at him. "The wind is against us and we need to get back on course." He hurried away, not glancing at anyone.

Timaeus said nothing, and for that, Yugi was grateful.

By Day Three, it had become clear that Yugi had no hope of succeeding at manual labor, so Timaeus finally relented and moved him to Rhebekka's custody. She'd set him to work at cutting onions for a roast beef stew she was brewing. The kitchen blade was smaller and the metal sharper than the copper snickersnees he was used to, and he constantly cut his fingers on the sharp iron. Each nick caused blood to infect the food and mess to contaminate his workspace. Even that wasn't as bad as Rhebekka's scolding screams. He had spent more time cleaning the blood and disinfecting the blade than he had cutting the vegetables. After the third cut, Rhebekka forced his hands into a pair of tough, leather gloves. They were thick and bulky and destroyed his dexterity, but at least now he was cutting off chunks of radish and not his flesh. Fortunately, he succeeded in skinning the last batch without incident.

Ever the hard mistress, Rhebekka had set him straight to work storing them in jars, tying bushels of herbs in leather straps, and hanging them over the fire to dry; and once that was done, she had shoved him into a joint washroom to clean the dishes. That was where he found himself now. On his knees, sleeves rolled up, and elbows deep in hot, soapy water. The rancid combo of salt and soap aggravated his nose, the heat stung his eyes, and his arms were red and pruned as a dried raisin by the time he'd finished the last dish—only for Rhebekka to enter a moment later with an armful of large pots, thick with grime and caked in soup. She dumped them into the tub with a sympathetic look. Yugi should've screamed. He _wanted_ to scream, but all he managed was a tired groan. He squeezed the rag, leaving it damp and soapy, and set to work.

Three days, and the former prince of Kemet—now consort to the Dragon Knight and Trierarch of _The Eye of Timaeus_, and soon-to-be Magistrate of Locri—was doing dishes. _That_ was his role, because he'd failed at everything else. Even the crew's bullying wasn't entirely to blame, he knew. As much as he had dreaded doing anything that constituted manual labor, he couldn't help but be excited. His first stay on _The Eye _had him hauled up for days in the Trierarch's cabin, recovering and pouting. Volunteering to help Rhebekka with her chores had simply been a means to curve his boredom. Now, he had the chance to prove himself. To show that he could be one of them. To show that he could be useful—and it was nice, he realized. To be useful, to have a role and a place onboard the ship, and he'd been confident that he could do it.

He should've stayed in the Great Cabin.

A wave of depression—both from the sea and his heart—sent him leaning back. The balls of his feet retracted and plopped on his bottom with a heavy sigh. The crew hadn't liked him then either, he remembered. Back then, he'd been a guest. Now, he was a Consort and second ruler, and his position was still no different. It was no wonder they hated him, he thought.

He wasn't naïve of their snaps and snickers. Nor was he foolish enough to believe the ropes had been an accident. The crew despised him. They saw him as a burden, because he _was_ one. It hurt to admit it, but it would've been worthless to deny the truth. They thought he was useless, and he's all but proven them true. Here he was, the Trierarch's consort—soon-to-be Magistrate—and he could barely chop vegetables.

When the last pot was cleaned and set aside, he rose from his sore knees and hauled the heavy tub to his chest. Water splashed over the rims and soaked the wrap Rhebekka had given him, but he didn't care. Slowly, he hiked his heavy burden up to the deck and dumped it over the rail. Exhausted and panting, he slouched against the railing, and studied the fractured sea beneath him. The waves were small, but roughly tossed curls of foam. The swish of the oars crafted little whirlpools and the color shifted in the light from an omniscient deep blue to a bland slouched gray—like the sea itself couldn't decide what it wanted.

Despite that, though, Yugi felt calmed by it. The air was crisp and sharp with the smell of salt. Horizons spread all around him like the sea and sky had smashed together, and infinite blue water spread unparalleled and unstoppable. It reeked of freedom and possibilities, and Yugi knew from then on that he loved the sea and all its infinite promises. He needed that comfort.

"Getting some air?" Yugi spun. Ryou descended the castle steps with a small smile. "You look haggard," he said with a soft laugh.

Yugi chuckled and gazed down at his pale hands, wrinkled like a dried prune. "I am. I thought my siblings were harsh taskmasters."

Ryou burst with laughter. "Aye, learned that lesson the hard way myself. Only person I've ever met more stubborn than the Trierarch is his Quartermaster." He relaxed against the railing, his posture formal but not unfriendly.

And just like that, Yugi was alone with the Sailing Master. A Sailing Master, he reminded himself, who was close to Timaeus and Rhebekka, and the men who hated him—and yet whose tone towards him had changed. The formality was no longer icy, his posture no longer stiff—and this time, when they spoke, he didn't struggle with his laughs.

"Um, thank you…" Yugi started, a bit thrown-off.

Ryou spun to him and he elaborated. "For yesterday, that is. You did not have to."

"Oh yes, I did," Ryou cut him off, bluntly and holding no room for argument.

"Still," Yugi said, suddenly shy.

"It _will_ get easier," Ryou reassured him. "We have all faltered when we started. You are not the first, nor will you be the last."

Yugi's fingers curled under his palms, trembling. "It isn't that." He paused. "They aren't wrong about me, Ryou. They see me as a burden, because I am one. I've never served on a ship as anything other than a passenger. I've never done manual labor before today. I was a Prince of Kemet, trained as a priest of Sekhmet and served the Great House all my life, yet here… here I'm a Trierarch's Consort. In Locri, I will be a Magistrate, and I will have a whole island's care as my duty, yet I can hardly cut radishes."

He finally looked at Ryou, shaking. "Can I tell you a secret? Something… I haven't even told Rhebekka?" His eyes were wracked with pain and Ryou could only nod. "I…" Yugi tried to speak, but realized he couldn't look at him. His wet eyes dropped its gaze to the floor. "I _want_ to be a good Magistrate. I want to be _his _Magistrate. I _know_ I can, but this—all this—is so new to me, and there's so much I don't know. How do I start? How do I show them that I can do this? And what if I don't? What if I can't? How can I help him rule if I can't even earn the respect of this crew? I… I don't know what to do."

Yugi's face dissolved into silent tears. He clenched the railing for support and willed himself to stop shaking. Silence passed between them and almost as instantly as the words had left him, he regretted confiding something so deeply personal to someone who only considered him civilly and not a friend.

"Don't give up." When Yugi looked at him, his dark brown eyes were hard with determination but soft with reassurance. Ryou took Yugi's hand and held it gingerly. He spoke the Aramaic accent fluently, but traces of his native Canaanite had slipped in his passion. "You are smart, Yugi, and you're strong and you're kind. Do not let them take that from you. You are young, but your heart is true. You will succeed." His hands started shaking and Yugi stood stunned.

Finally, Ryou said, "… And I will help you."

Yugi nearly stumbled, stunned by the Sailing Master's peripeteia. Then he listened to the words again and was overcome with emotion. "Y-You will…? Oh, thank you!" He flung his arms around the pale youth. Then he felt Ryou stiffen and composed himself, blanching white and then cheeks tinting pink. "I-I-I mean—" It was difficult not to stutter.

He felt gentle hands touch his shoulders. He looked into Ryou's warm smile and the young man gave him a short embrace. It reminded Yugi of the way his brother hugged him when he'd been little and timid of everything. Then just as quickly, Ryou stiffened again and pulled away.

"You had best head back," he gestured to the sky behind him. The sun was fading fast and the sky was a mesh of deep crimson and fading purple. "It's well-nigh dusk. Your Lord Husband will be looking for you."

Yugi quickly brushed his eyes and nodded. "Thank you, Ryou. Again."

He started past him. Ryou hesitated for a moment. "Yugi," he finally called after him.

Yugi stopped.

"Talk to your husband, Yugi. Tell him what you told me. He will help you."

Yugi stiffened and shook his head. "Thank you, Ryou, for the kind consideration," he replied, courteous and dutiful. "But my Lord Husband has more pressing matters to see to." His voice had lost all its friendliness and replaced it with civility.

Ryou only nodded. "If it pleases you." His smile was kind and Yugi returned it. He departed for the forecastle, catching the last glimpse of twilight as it blinked over the sea. He watched Amun-Ra descend into the primeval sea—and for the first time, he wondered if the Gods ever feared that he would not return. Then he remembered Seth guarding his boat—the strongest and most brutal of the Gods, but also the most loyal and the fiercest of their protectors. Turning back to his friend, Ryou looked nothing like the powerfully-built, camel-nosed, beast-headed God with flaming hair and eyes he'd adored in childhood, but in him, Yugi saw all the fierceness and loyalty that had led the God to slay his brother when he and his sister stole their Grandfather's name. For the first time in three days, he lied down in his new chambers and waited for Timaeus, content in the comfort that he'd made a new friend.

X X X

Ryou watched the lad depart for the sterncastle with one last glimpse at the sun before it set. He wondered briefly what the boy was thinking, then smiled ruefully. It was so easy to see why Timaeus loved this one—this exuberant youth with a kind heart and a humble soul, but a fiery spirit. The peripeteia of it filled him with determination as well as shame. How could he, who prided himself on his judgment of character, have misread him so critically? He cleared his head, and put the past behind him, then turned to the rafters.

"Do you two plan on stalking the whole crew or just him?" Ryou retorted, his voice scratchy.

Malik growled vocally and Ryou regarded him with a simple glare over the shoulder. Otogi copied Malik's disapproving glare. The gall alone made Ryou sick.

"You understand that no one believed the ropes were an accident, correct, Malik?"

Malik's eyes flashed with trepidation but he quickly masked it. Too quickly, Otogi charged forward. "What did you expect after the mess that brat left of my storeroom?" he grouched.

"That _brat,_" Ryou cut him off with a sharp hiss, "Is your _Magistrate_." He pushed himself off the ledge and took a menacing step forward—his shoulders squared and eyes sharp with accusation. He stopped in front of them. Both men had an inch or two on him, but the burning promise in his eyes, dark and hostile, carried a far more dangerous threat. "They weren't splotched from the spill." He leaned forward and whispered to them both, "They were _drenched._"

He let the fact hang there for a long moment before he continued. "I know it was you, Otogi, who soaked the ropes; and you, Malik, who gave it to him. The only reason I haven't gone to the Trierarch is because I have no proof it was you two. But you can be sure that he is just as suspicious of your actions as I am. If you do not believe me, then you are either naïve or _breathtakingly_ stupid."

Malik gawked, appalled by such an accusation. Otogi's face was a weak mask of surprise that he tried to conceal under angry eyes and a tight jaw.

"Why are you supporting _him_?" Malik demanded, fury in his voice and anguish in his eyes. "If I remember correctly, you were just as insulted by his presence as we were!"

Ryou visibly flinched, the memory of that stupidity filling him with shame. "True…" he confessed.

Malik's face was a smile of absolute triumph.

Ryou's lips tugged into a smile. "But I've had the courage to do what you clearly could not."

Malik and Otogi blinked owlishly.

"What?" Otogi asked, curious.

A smile slit Ryou's face. "Accept the truth. Are you saying you've yet to see it?" He gasped—his surprise full of mockery. "Oh dear, how terrible. Both your prides have already been so terribly bruised."

Their faces contorted with rage. Hot-blooded, Otogi shot forward, commanding, "Listen, you—"

"No." Ryou cut him off and grabbed the hand that lurched at him with a practiced grace, squeezing tightly. "_You_ listen to _me. I _am your_ superior, _Otogi. _Not _the other way around. _I _am the Sailing Master, _not _one of your bumbling riggers and oarsmen." His nails sank and his fingers twisted deeper with each word, until Otogi could no longer hold his brave mask, and his knees buckled in pain. "And if you _ever_ attempt such dishonor against me again, you'd best _pray_ the Trierarch deals with you himself." He released Otogi's hand and the man crumbled to the deck, his wounded hand cradled against his chest.

"Now get out of my sight!" Ryou hissed. Gathering the remaining shards of his dignity, Otogi grudgingly obeyed the dismissal. Left alone, Malik stared at him—his face a mask of shock. He glared at Ryou, but Ryou furrowed his brows, daring Malik to challenge him. "Do not forget, Malik; we may be comrades—mayhap even call the other a friend—but I am _still _your superior." His eyes were hard but not untrusting. "And _he _will be the best Magistrate we could've ever hoped for. The Trierarch chose well. I tell you this, Malik, as a friend."

He left without another word. Ryou resolved himself then. To help the Trierarch's young consort. To aid him in the challenges that lie ahead. To guide him, encourage him, and change the opinions of his comrades. To show them the spirited but humble young man determined to find his place in the world and aid his husband to the best of his abilities. And mayhaps, in time, to even call himself his friend.

X X X

"Now what do you suppose all that was about?" Rhebekka clipped rhetorically over Timaeus' shoulder. His eyes were fixated on the lower decks where his consort and three of his officers had just exchanged "pleasantries".

"Does it matter?" He hardly cared for quarrels between his men. He could guess well enough. "We have far more pressing matters," he said, words laced with disgust.

"Quite," she agreed. "Then again, Yugi never was one for petty power struggles." Rhebekka's lips formed an uneasy line.

"No," Timaeus agreed—the days' events still fresh in his mind. "But he doesn't surrender either. He fights… or at least he used to." His fingers clenched, remembering Yugi's pacifist behavior—so unlike the fiery, sharp-tongued youth he's come to love.

"It's only natural for his confidence to falter in a new environment, but I am confident that will change," Rhebekka assured.

Timaeus cut her off with a sharp grunt. "I made Yugi my consort, knowing I had no intention of being with anyone else. I knew the crew mistrusted him, I knew I was bringing him to a world unknown to him and putting him in a position he was unfamiliar with, but I had seen his courage and his strength and I was confident that, in time, all would be well. How naïve is that, Rhebekka?" He clenched the wood beneath his gauntleted fingers, voice drowning in anguish.

"Indeed," Rhebekka nodded, brows furrowing. "For all their loyalty, soldiers truly are daft creatures," she snapped, revolted. "They think themselves clever, but in truth, they are grievingly predictable. They are either impetuous or naïve."

"I should throw them in the brig to rot," Timaeus growled. "And yet I can do nothing about it." His hand tightened around the railing until the wood splintered.

"You could—" Rhebekka pressed, but Timaeus cut her off.

"I _could_. I made my opinions clear and what the punishment will be for any further offenses against Yugi and I," he began. "Yugi is my consort and their Magistrate. That is a fact. If I told them a second time to show Yugi respect and that there is no forgiveness for anyone who defies him, there can be no doubt that the harassment will cease immediately."

Rhebekka didn't respond. She didn't need to—the answer hung in the air between them like a mocking ghost.

Rhebekka hesitated. "My Trierarch…"

"I know, Rhebekka," Timaeus said. "But I promised him I wouldn't interfere. Even if I do… the crew already thinks him unfit to be my consort. As my Magistrate, he will hold the second-most-powerful position in Locri, and share the fourth-most-powerful position in all of Atlantis. He will attend to political and military affairs in my absence, and will be responsible for the care and aid of my people on a daily basis. He has the experience to do so, and you and I both _know_ that he can, but all _that_ will count as nothing if he is overwhelmed by mere sailors…" he growled, voice subdued in anguish—the railing splintering even further under the force of his grip. "Yugi must show that he can overcome such matters himself, or lose all credibility and standing before the men, the monarchy, and my people."

"But does he_ know _that, Timaeus?" Rhebekka queried with an incredulous snap.

"He knows what the position entitled—" Timaeus began, but then she cut him off with a loud smack of her palms against the wood of the banister.

"That is not what I meant, and you know it!" she snapped. Anxious fingers scratched at the wood like a furious cat sharpening its claws. "God's teeth, Timaeus, why won't you talk to him? Why won't you talk to _each other_? Listen to him, forgive each other, become friends again—"

"I _hav_e," he cut her off again, his tone sharp and brooking no further argument. "I've spoken with him again and _again_..." His tone was more tired than angry. A sigh exploded through his nose and he wearily continued. "I promised him that I would not interfere and I did not just mean with the men. He wants our marriage to succeed, so the next step must be his."

He descended the forecastle steps without another word.

Rhebekka watched him go, and suppressed the urge to scream.

* * *

So hope this chapter fit all the promises i made with last one and gave you all a lot to think about ;)

And i just want to say how bad ass was Ryou this chapter? I LOVE writing him like this, he's such a strong character and yet all of that gets swept under the rug in most FanFics it seems so i was very proud of how he came out this chapter, it literally wrote himself!

Now, because of the lateness of this chapter, i hope to get the next chapter finished and updated this weekend (if i can get past this one part that I'm totally blocked on! UGH!) and of course Work leaves me the hell alone! But we'll see! So wish me luck! until then...

As always, read, review, critique, comment, rant, ask questions, post your theories and go nuts!

_**NEXT UPDATE: **_**_The goal is October 17th_**

**_NEXT TIME:_**_ The multiple storms breweing have reached a standstill, and Rhebekka's beyond fed-up. Timaeus is at his wits end and when the final storm breaks Yugi finds himself thrust into a position that will test all of his resolve. Any theories? NEXT TIME!_


	36. Chapter XXXVI: Storm

Sorry this chapter is so late! My plans to update it a week early backfired thanks to my job and then my Grammar Knight was swamped with finals and her own stuff...its been a rough month indeed and honestly i will be glad when it is all over (thank god for Halloween_

**IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT:** Next week starts Novemeber and NaNoWriMo, and since i now i can write a novel in a month i'm taking an unorthadox approach to the challenge by taking the month off to finish Timaeus Part 2. I have much of the next chapter planned i just need to figure out one part and take a day off to type it (which is damn near impossible with my job, but i will power through) also as i am sick an tired of missing my deadlines, i want to Finish Part 2 or at least get at least two chapters written ahead so i'll have them prewritten and pre-grammared and ready to post and this way I can start doing weekly updates again. My readers don't have to wait and i don't have to stress about deadlines so i think this will be a good set up. As this will be the last chapter until November 30, I made it an extra long chapter with a couple of plot twists i think my very patient readers will enjoy!

As always read, review, comment, critique, post theories, ask questions, make notes and go nuts!

Disclaimer: i only own the plot.

* * *

_Chapter XXXVI: Storm_

What settled next over _The Eye_ was a dreadful kind of calm that nearly had the Quartermaster screaming and wrenching her hair. In the seven days that followed, the storm that was her Trierarch and her loyal friend's marriage had reached a still kind of peacefulness that both men endured uncomfortably. What had started as a raging storm between them had dwindled to a series of small, almost hopeful battles. Yet Yugi's passive dealings with the crew and Timaeus' silent reassurances had quickly put an end to that. In those days, they'd barely spoken, save for the morning meals that Rhebekka insisted she bring herself—if only to start some kind of conversation. When they did speak, their questions were clumsy and their words awkward, as if they'd both forgotten how to use their tongues. They fell into their robotic routines with an awkward smile and a cold distance. At night, Timaeus ate with the crew and Yugi in the galley with her, and in the morning, the day followed in the same repetitive routine that left her frustrated and barely able to bite down her tongue.

While outside the marital sphere, the Great Sea had done all within her power to detour the green dragon from its destination. The wood and canvas had served well enough, but by the second day, the wind had turned traitorous. For six days, the winds had been against them and if not for the galley's many oars, they'd still be battling along Tanitic Lake's sand bed. By Day Seven, however, the wind had abandoned them completely—a perfect mimic to the cold war the ship's masters had taken. Now, here they were, eight days later and still not a breath to fill her sails. Luckily, with two hundred oars and the men to row it, _The Eye _was far from helpless in a calm like this. She only wished her masters were the same—herself included.

"Daft and useless creatures," she groaned, burying her pale face in her folded arms, stealing a single glance over the railing. Over the side of the ship, the great cog groaned and the slow, steady swish of oars churned little waves in a slow rhythmic beat that made Rhebekka's stomach queasy and her bored brain dizzy. "Has my own marriage not taught me that?" She snorted. "Men." Even in her worst fits, she couldn't remember feeling so snappy, and yet she could not bring herself to be angry with them.

For all her raging, she knew her Trierarch and her friend well. She understood their frustrations; Yugi, she imagined, still held some lingering anger for whatever it was he held Timaeus responsible for in the conditions of their wedding. She dare not ask what it was. He would not tell her, she knew, but he no doubt felt that his own opinions and desires had become lost in the order of things, and that left him determined to stand on his own. It had left him with a new duteous zeal and a determination to prove his worth, to both the crew and himself, she imagined—and, she suspected, to armor himself against the lingering feelings that were still so clearly growing inside of him despite, or perhaps because of, everyone else's insistence that he'd ought to enjoy it because it was just advantageous and just his match. All it had done was to leave the poor lad drained and uncaring, and refusing seek aid from anyone but his own stubbornness.

The Trierarch hadn't faired any better, though the opposite were his issues. It was clear as the day was long that the Trierarch found Yugi desirable—his spirit as well as his being. How could he not? Yugi was attractive, witty, fiery, independent, clever, and downright fearless. And reckless and stubborn to the point of vexing, but they were survivalist traits as well, and everything about him called to Timaeus' nature like a predator seeking the perfect mate. To Timaeus, Yugi was a precious challenge: he was brave, he was beautiful, he was exciting, he was challenging, and he matched the Trierarch in wit and will of iron the strength of a raging fire. Timaeus was in love with him, even if the man was too new to such emotions to understand it quickly, let alone confess to them. And it was there that the issue occurred. Timaeus wanted nothing more than to shower Yugi with his affections, but Yugi denied him—not out of unrequited feelings but out of spite. Timaeus respected Yugi enough to let him decide the pacing of their marriage and his desire to handle himself, but there was only so much apologizing, sympathizing, and amend-making a man could do before his patience depleted and the frustration and pain of constant rejection made him bitter.

Between Yugi's stubbornness, the men's cruelty, and his own inability to make any change, Rhebekka was stunned her Trierarch had lasted this long. But despite that understanding, it had infuriated her. Yugi was being stubborn and embittered, and Timaeus was being passive and reprimanding, and the two of them were obstinately determined to be silent.

"Daft as the day is long!" Rhebekka growled and slammed her fist against the railing. Then she gasped when the ship swayed and her own fist wobbled. Her front crashed against the railing and her belly immediately protested on the sudden pressure. She cursed the waves as pain shot through her and bile bubbled in her throat. She clung desperately to the rail to steady herself. Instead, she caught sight of the repetitive motions of the oars and the spinning swells they stirred and could hold it back no longer. She clung desperately to the rail and retched over the side, coughing and cursing the indecisive sea.

"Never thought I'd see _you_ puking over the side of a ship," Timaeus chuckled behind her, but not unconcerned. "Yet here you are, green as a rotten fish." He handed her a towel and a cup of ale.

"_Please_." It was more a command than a plea. "Do _not_ mention fish to me." She took a swallow to clean out her mouth then downed the rest. "It's stress. What do you expect, when I have to deal with you lot?" She wiped her mouth with a harsh swipe. "Daft fools, the lot of ya." She took another swig and found the ale cup empty. She cursed and stormed past but Timaeus grabbed her wrist.

"Where has this madness come from?" he demanded, though not ungently.

Rhebekka snatched her wrist back. "I'm overworked, overstressed, and at my wits end."

Timaeus blinked owlishly. "If you're that in need of help, I'm sure Yugi—"

"Oh bloody hell, Timaeus, what do you think happened to my wits? It's your consort you should be arguing with, not me! At least then, you two would be talking!"

"Rhebekka," he said, low with warning. "I've told you—"

"Yes, yes, you want to give him space, you want him to decide what happens next, you want him to come to you, I've heard it all before," she snapped in challenge. "All the good that it's done you, hasn't it?"

Timaeus' glare sharpened, unyielding and holding no more room for sympathy or argument. "I'll hear no more of this." He turned to leave.

Rhebekka snorted. "Fine, then. I see my counsel no longer interests you," she snapped, but this time, she sounded more defeated than angry.

Timaeus stopped and turned to her. His face was stony, but his eyes flickered with something that was almost desperate. "What else would you have me do, Rhebekka? I've tried speaking with him. I've tried to be patient. And I've tried sympathizing to his wills. He will not listen. If I am any more sympathetic, I'm likely to take my own head."

"Then _tell_ him that!" she pleaded. "Make him listen. I know you care for him, and this is all difficult for you, but how can you expect him to come to you if the two of you do not speak? If you do not listen to each other?!" Her voice bled with a desperate pleading and her eyes burned with dying hope, but Timaeus could not look at her and give her the condolence she so desperately craved.

"Fine." She exhaled. Her shoulders slumped, defeated. "I will say no more." She turned and headed for the steps to the galley. "Keep him with you today. I have no need of him."

She didn't wait for Timaeus to answer, and dragged herself back to the sanctuary of the kitchen. She nearly stumbled twice and scolded the oarsmen to steady their hands. She cursed the swaying ship when her stomach once more rebelled on her. She calmed it well enough and poured herself some wine. The nausea settled, but was by no means truly tamed.

"Rhebekka?" She spun to the soft voice. Yugi was already there, carrying a basket of freshly-peeled apples she'd ordered mashed into a juice. "Are you alright?"

" 'Tis stress," she said flatly, and rubbed her sore eyes and sore temples. "What else could it be?"

"Rhebekka," he said gingerly. "If you are ill, I can—"

"I am well," she cut him off and proved so by arranging a large tray with a helping of boiled eggs, fried bread, dried dates, and bowls of porridge. Then she poured two mugs of water, pulled the apples' basket from his arms and thrust the tray in its place. "Go bring that to your husband," she told him. "I won't need your help today." She tried to stay calm. Frustrating as he was, Yugi was still a sweet boy and she had no desire to lash at him with her attitude.

"And… do what?" he gaped at her, surprised.

"I don't know," she said. "That's for you to decide." She spun him around and gently shoved him towards the door. "Eat, drink, then go and make love to your husband, that's what I suggest."

"Rhebek—" He blushed, gaped, and choked on her name, but she only shook her head and rolled her eyes.

"Heaven forbid you should actually _talk_ to him." She shoved him out and closed the door.

X X X

One long, awkward walk back to the sterncastle later, Yugi found himself setting the heavy tray on the Navigation Room table and setting up the provided dishes for his and Timaeus' breakfast—his face still red from Rhebekka's jests.

When Timaeus finally joined him nearly half an hour later, he looked haggard and rubbed his temples furiously. Yugi stared at him blankly, waiting for an acknowledgement, but Timaeus didn't seem to notice him.

"Timaeus?" Yugi called to him softly. Determined as he was to stay his distance, it was not in his nature to leave the weary uncomforted. His words dropped like a stone in a well, and echoed just as dully.

Timaeus shot up immediately. He caught a whiff of food, and his eyes adjusted to the tasty spread set for two. He smiled. "Not eating with Rhebekka this morning?" he asked rhetorically, but was pleased.

Yugi shuddered. "She's in a foul mood," he explained.

"Ah." Timaeus needed no further explanation. "I'm afraid that's my fault. She's not very pleased with me." He pulled out a chair and fetched himself a plate.

"Or me, I think." Yugi unfolded his hands and fixed himself a plate of porridge mixed with honey and dried dates. The sugary taste felt odd on his bland tongue. Like a rush to his senses that died in an instant, leaving him feeling drained and weary. "Is she well?" Yugi asked, though the question was awkward on his tongue.

"I'm sure she will be fine," Timaeus said, his tone nervous and lacking its usual confident baritone. Yugi found it worrisome, though when he tried to ask the question, the words jumbled in his throat. Instead, he coughed to cover them and took a sip of mead. It did little to steady his nerves.

"Um…" He struggled, his tongue feeling heavy and clumsy in his mouth. "Are… _you_ alright?" he asked, unsure if he wanted to know, and with no notion of what to say if he was answered.

Timaeus stopped and stared at him. He smiled, but it was weak and pinched. "I am well, sweetling." It was a lie and they both knew it. In truth, Timaeus was not well. His Quartermaster was displeased with him, his men were growing bolder, and yet he could do nothing to reproach them without damaging his consort's image—a consort who, even now, he wanted desperately to speak to openly, but knew in doing so would only set them back. He'd said enough and he knew Yugi was as tired of listening to it as he was of hearing it. Even the damn wind had turned against him and refused to offer even a breath to hasten their journey home, and worse, he'd lost contact with the other three ships three days ago. No, Timaeus was far from well, but he saw no need to burden his young consort with any of that. He had enough troubles of his own.

He stared down at his porridge and waited for Yugi to answer, but he said nothing. Glancing at his meal, Timaeus felt his stomach lurch and before long, even his appetite abandoned him, save for the mead.

"Are _you_ well, sweetling?" he asked. Yugi only nodded and took another bite of porridge. "You know," Timaeus heard himself stumble, his throat tense and dry. "If you are not, you can tell me. You can tell me anything."

"And you can tell me things as well," Yugi returned. He stiffened, like he half-expected Timaeus to confront him about something. But he didn't.

Odd that for all their promises and claims that they could tell each other everything, they told each other nothing.

Silence fell, heavy and deafening over the meal and ended in a strained atmosphere as many of them often did. Timaeus rose first. "Since Rhebekka does not need your help, perhaps you can take the day off to enjoy yourself?" Timaeus suggested.

Yugi blinked at him, almost dejected. "What about you?"

Timaeus hesitated. "There is an issue I must see to. It will take me much of the day."

"Perhaps… I could help you then?" He gave him a hopeful, desperate smile. Timaeus heart ached, but shook his head. His young consort had had enough grief—there was no need to burden him any further. "There is no need for that," he waved him off. "I will see to it, you use your day as you please."

Yugi frowned. His eyes narrowed and his mouth twitched the way it did when he was about to protest. Timaeus braced himself for the fire, but instead, Yugi swallowed a gasp of air and spun to the door. "Fine, I will leave you to it." He gathered the cups and plates and left.

Timaeus watched him go. _That was a stupid move!_ he snapped in his thoughts. _Now he thinks I don't think him capable… _Or perhaps Yugi had, at long last, wanted to reach out to him, only to be turned away and frustrated? If that _were _the case, then perhaps now he had tasted the rotten fish stuffed and grounded with ashes that Timaeus tasted nearly every night for the past ten days. It brought him no comfort. _Fool, _he snapped again. _Of course he is not well, but he won't speak to _me_ about that._ Timaeus groaned and headed for the helm.

It was not enough. He'd placed his _shabka _around his wrist, his cloak around his shoulders, carried himself across the threshold, and sworn Yugi his protection—but that was as cruel a jape as their wedding had been. He wanted to chase after him, to reach for him, hold him, to break through the armor of his devoir. He gladly would have given whatever solace he might, but it was no good. Yugi only pushed his comforts away and so to respect his husband's wishes, as much as it burned him, Timaeus remained silent.

_I want him._ Timaeus admitted as he marched up the steps. _But I want him to want me as well. I want to comfort him. I want to hear him laugh. I want to see him smile. I want him to bring _me _his joys, his woes, his tears, his smiles, and his lust. _His lips twisted into a bitter smile. _But he won't, because it would make him appear weak._

The deck was empty and quiet, save for the steady rhythmic creaking of oars and the splash and slop of water. He found himself staring at the gray water, his soul tired and his spirit weary. Ryou stood at the wheel. He flashed him a small smile, but said nothing when he arrived. For that, he was grateful.

Yet again he was reminded of his husband, distant and dutiful. _I want him to come to me willingly. Not my Quartermaster and not my Navigator, _me_!_ He stopped and had clenched the railing so tight that when he heard a crack, he regained his senses and pulled away. Only his strict pride kept a flush of shame from his face.

Again, he turned to Ryou and smiled. "Any change in the wind?"

Ryou shook his head. "Afraid not, nor has the tide been in our favor. We'll have to charter another course."

Timaeus nodded and pulled a map from his doublet. Despite it all, he could not bring himself to hate or even be angry with either his Sailing Master or his Quartermaster. If anything, he was glad Yugi had allies, but it didn't make the pain any less bearable.

X X X

Left to his own devices, Yugi strolled into the deck in a foul mood.

He dared not venture below; not with the whole crew acting as oarsmen, and Rhebekka having one of her fits. Yet neither did he feel like venturing to the sterncastle. Not when Timaeus was no doubt handling whatever it was he needed done, without his help. It burned him, to be dismissed like a child. To be sheltered and babied. Had he not promised to let Yugi handle his own? Or had he only proven himself so inadequate that the Trierarch saw him as incapable of handling even the simplest chores? Whichever was the answer, it only made Yugi bitter and angry.

He was a Prince of Kemet. He was the Consort of the Trierarch. He was _going_ to be the Magistrate of Locri. Why was he still being treated like a child? Yugi collapsed against the railing and growled over the edge. He focused his frustration on the sea, and was suddenly overcome by jealousy. The sea was harsh, wild, uncontainable, and untamable. The sea didn't need to prove herself to anyone or anything. The sea wasn't restricted by duties and vows. The sea was pure freedom. The sea was everything he wanted and everything he would never have.

_Or could_, a deeper part of him said, mollifying and smooth. _She wasn't wrong, you know…_ Rhebekka's words returned to him, but Yugi brushed them aside, harsh and deliberate. He pulled himself from the railing and his hands rose to clench his head.

He needed to think. Needed to get away. He spied Ryou on the stern deck and rushed up the steps, eager for his friend's guidance. Then stopped short when he saw him glancing sideways at a map with the last person he wished to see.

"Oh, Magistrate," Ryou said politely. The map crumpled in Timaeus' fingers as he stiffened.

Tension rolled over like a thick fog, and Ryou felt it chilling his spine. "Should I leave you?" he asked hesitantly.

"No," Timaeus said curtly, and rolled up the map. "We're finished here."

He spun to Yugi who glared at him. "I thought you had the evening to yourself?"

"I have," Yugi insisted. "And I'm doing with it as I choose."

"And what have you chosen to do with it?" Timaeus crossed his arms, the hint of accusation in his tone.

They stared at each other, eyes hard and challenging. Unyielding emerald and pearl and stubborn violet.

"I want to see what's too important that my Lord husband chose to conceal it from me."

"My Lords…" Ryou stuttered uncomfortably behind the wheel. His fingers shook violently and he struggled to steer. "Mayhaps I should..."

"Stay!" They both ordered, not breaking their glare. Ryou obeyed.

" 'Tis nothing you need to worry about," Timaeus waved off, but Yugi remained, his stance determinedly stubborn. "You need not worry about me, Yugi," Timaeus insisted. " 'Tis not your duty to protect me. I am the Trierarch. You are my consort—"

"That's right!" Yugi cut him off angrily. "I am your _consort_! Not some child you need to coddle and condescend. I do not need all this 'protection' and I'm tired of it!"

"And _I _am tired of you constantly disrespecting me like I am some jailer who's made you a prisoner." Timaeus spun on him and shot forward like a swooping shadow. His retort was sharp and damning. His voice low and dangerous. The last of his patience had snapped. "Everything you asked of me, I have done. You asked me for space and I gave it to you. You asked me to step back and not interfere with your affairs, and I did so. And I have made offer after offer of your forgiveness, yet you shun me aside like I am some sort of deviant—and if I may speak freely, _my consort_, I am growing rather tired of constantly trying to meet your expectations, when you have done nothing to earn them."

His eyes blazed cold and piercing, daring him to protest, but Yugi was not yet vanquished.

"Nothing…" Yugi wrung his fingers like he meant to tear something. "Well… in that regard, I'd sooner be struck by lightning."

A low rumble answered him. Half a heartbeat later, the world darkened. Anger drained from both men, their faces fell to twin masks of shock and they spun to the rail. Light flashed above them, turning day to night. Clouds bubbled at the far end of the sky like an overcooked pot, but they were thick and black and announced their arrival with rolls of warning growls and cracks of light splintering like spider webs across their surface.

"Hurricane a'comin'!" They heard Otogi shout from the mast, and the ship jerked.

Timaeus rose over the ride, eyes narrowing when the shallow waves suddenly grew twice as high and twice as bold.

The sky went black and darkness descended with a thunderclap. Wind announced its arrival with a fierce howl that pulled at the sails and sent the sleeves and tail of Yugi's clothes flying in parallel lines.

"Stand fast!" Otogi called, hand held to his mouth in an echo. "Secure the riggers!"

The men wasted no time, and scattered about the ship like a swarm of spiders up the ropes. Ropes were tied tightly about their waists and they pulled them hard, securing them tightly to the mast. Another gale of wind crashed into the ship and the sails whipped wildly, causing the ship to jerk violently. Yugi felt his footing slip, and clung to Timaeus' arm for support. The Trierarch caught him in one arm and clung to the railing with the other.

"Otogi!'" he shouted, the echo of his voice loud but lost in the howl of the wind. "Secure those sails!"

"Secure all sails!" Otogi echoed, and the men set to work swinging from the high beams, the riggings pulled tight. The wind fought them fiercely, but the men were strong and so was the ship, and her sails retracted like folded wings.

Another wave crashed into the side of the ship, hard enough to send it to its side and so high, water spilled over the side. Yugi felt his feet go out from under him, but Timaeus pressed him against the wall with his body. Out of the corner of his face, he saw Ryou struggling with the wheel.

"I suppose now we know where the wind had been?" he japed over his shoulder, and both men glared at him.

"Look out!" Yugi shrieked. Ryou spun just in time for another large wave to strike from the left, sending a flood of water over the side and knocking the ship hard enough to shift it left. Thunder came and the whole night shook. The force threw Ryou back and the wheel spun wild.

Torn between protecting his charge and taking control, Timaeus pulled Yugi to him with a single order. "Take my arm!"

Yugi obeyed, and the two battled the wind. Yugi clung to the spinning wheel without fear and tried to stop it, but the sudden force knocked him forward. Timaeus grabbed it, and with a grunt of purposeful strength, made it turn. Once secured, he turned to Ryou. "Are you alright?"

Ryou tried to get up, but grabbed his head and groaned in sudden pain. "I'll be fine." His voice was weak.

Timaeus glared at him. "Don't be brash!" he snapped. "Get below now! Tell Rhebekka what's happened!"

This time, Ryou did not argue. Clinging desperately to the rail, he pulled himself to the stern's steps and forced himself down.

Yugi was about to call to him, when a light pressure squeezed his arm. Timaeus met his confused gaze with stern eyes and a grave frown. "Go with him. Stay below."

His eyes flashed. "I want to help!" Yugi protested immediately.

"I don't want your help!" Timaeus cut him off, sharp and fierce, just as another combination of wind and waves crashed into the ship, and his grip on the wheel nearly stumbled. He recovered quickly and spun to Yugi, his face red and absolute, but his eyes were pleading. "I want you safe!"

"I don't need you to protect me!" Yugi struggled desperately, his hands still clutching the wheel.

"Enough!" He cut Yugi off with such finality that for a brief second, even the wind itself stopped. So suddenly, Yugi didn't have time to gasp, Timaeus snatched his wrist like a tree root ensnaring dirt. His mismatched eyes blazed—one with anger, the other with desperation. "When I married you, I promised to keep you safe and keep you happy. I may have failed in the second, but I shall not fail the first. And quite frankly, love, I don't care whether you want my protection or not. You have it! You are _mine_ to protect, understand? Hate me all you want for it, I'm past caring, but I _do _care for you and I _will _see you safe! Now you can go on your own or I can carry you. Whichever will please you best?"

Caught off-guard by the bold passion of the declaration, Yugi could not speak. The words rang in his ears, loud and clear despite the roaring cacophony outside, and for an instance, he felt ashamed.

A huge bolt of lightning crackled across the sky and struck the sea. For half a heartbeat, the world was noonday bright and the claps that followed were so loud and sudden that Yugi gasped and jumped back. Timaeus' arms quickly caught him and kept him close, his armored body a shield from the vicious light. Another crash followed—this one directly overhead—and for another half of a heartbeat, the sky above Yugi's head was cracked and bleeding white. When the two faced each other again, all argument was gone from their faces, and replaced by a desperate, shelter-seeking fear.

"Go," Timaeus urged. "Now."

This time, Yugi needed no further encouragement.

When he reached the doors to the sterncastle, Ryou was already inside, a fresh bandage wrapped around his pale head like an invisible headband. "Ho, friend! This is no night to be out!"

"What can I do? I want to help," Yugi confided.

"There's not much help you can give, I'm afraid," Ryou assured him. "Torrents at sea are not like desert storms, though I imagine they are just as fierce. The sea is wild, the winds are monstrous, and there is nothing solid to keep us steady. The ship is our only shelter and even she can turn on us if we are not careful. If you want to help, go below, stay safe, and help the Quartermaster. I know Timaeus will fare much better knowing at least that you are safe."

"What about you?" Yugi asked, concerned.

Ryou gave him a weak smile. "I will be fine. It will take more than a whack to keep me down, but for now, I must keep the lifelines secure. I'm afraid I won't be much use otherwise, with the winds throwing us about."

Yugi hesitated, but nodded all the same and went below.

He did not go quietly. "Damn him!" He entered the galley in a rage. "Damn him to the depths and back so I can kill him again! How does he expect me to sit here and do nothing!?" He found Rhebekka behind the counter, her face contorted with displeasure.

"What the bloody abyss is going on up there? Please do not tell me you got into another brawl with those daft wits?"

Yugi flushed, but did not stop his rage. "There's a wicked storm out there," he explained. "And my husband thinks it's best to keep me sheltered down here while he and the crew do all the work…" He wrung his fingers, secretly glad to be away from the storm but angry at the dismissal all the same. "I'm not a damn child! I don't need to be sheltered!"

"Oh, enough out of you!" Rhebekka slammed the pot down so loud, it echoed. Yugi jumped, caught off-guard by the outburst.

Rhebekka spun to him, glaring—her emerald eyes blazing with shattered patience. "Aren't you tired of playing the martyr yet?" she retorted, roaring as loud as the thunder outside. "I will hear no more of it! If you're so frightened of your husband's feelings, tell _him_ that instead of hiding behind this lie of protection and duty, admit that you like him already and be done with it! Then maybe he'll confess to you instead of playing the pacifist to please you and actually _get_ somewhere," she paused to wheeze, her voice haggard and raw, but she did not stop. "I swear, the two of you are the daftest, most stubborn—" Her words exploded in a fit of hacking coughs so violent, she clenched the table for support.

"Rhebekka, are you alright?" Yugi jumped up to catch her, but she shoved his hands away.

"I'm fine!" she insisted hoarsely. "It's all this stress I'm dealing with!" She wobbled and Yugi caught her, her forehead flopping onto his arm.

"Rhebekka, you're burning up!" Yugi shrieked and guided her towards the adjacent door connecting the galley and the infirmary.

"Don't be daft, I can't be!" she protested fiercely, but her arms were weak and folded under her when she tried to push him away. "I've got meals to cook and potatoes to peel and fish to boil!" she screeched, shoving him away and dashed about.

"Fish?" Yugi gasped, stunned.

"Easier to dry and more nutritious than most meats," she explained. Sweat dampened her brow, her face flushed hot and red, and her eyes blazed mad and wild with fever. "Why else would your commoners eat it? 'Cause there's so many in the river? There's plenty of cattails, too, but they don't eat those, do they? Now leave me be, I'm fine. If anything, it's you two and your constant yapping making me…"

She stopped suddenly and gingerly pressed a gloved hand to her forehead. "Dizzy…" She finally collapsed.

Yugi squawked and dove to catch her. She crumbled into his arms like a collapsed tower—and just as heavy. He wasted no time in carrying her to the infirmary. She passed out long before he arrived and carefully, he laid her on one of the swinging boxes that serves as a cot. Her breathing was heavy and ragged but otherwise, she slept peacefully. He fiddled around the cabinet and fished though bottles for a cloth and tonic—anything to bring down her fever. He pressed a cold cloth to her forehead and bundled her tight.

_Tea,_ he thought. Onion tea was good for colds, though the hem-netjer forbade it in the temples. And soup, he thought, rushing back upstairs. The pot still burned over the small fire and Yugi found the remains of several fishes boiling in the water. Once stripped down to their marrow, he carefully pulled them out with a spoon.

While tossing aside the useless bones, he thought of Timaeus outside and the men battling the elements. He imagined their weariness when they returned, battered and hungry and chilled from the icy rains. Then he remembered Rhebekka's words and set about making himself busy.

He found onions and tossed them into the broth, along with the basket of potatoes and carrots he'd peeled the day before. Donning the gloves, he cut them up into thick chunks and added it to the pot, with handfuls of barley and dried legumes. Those were nutritious, after all? And onions to prevent colds—though again, the hem-netjer forbade them in the temple. He stirred the water, adding more as he went, and blanched when he realized he'd cooked the onions with their skins.

He fished them out with a spoon, but they plopped into a mash in the bowl. A quick sample and he found himself enjoying the mushy paste and set about slicing bread for the spread. He piled up plates and let the stew simmer until then. When the broth began to bubble, the homely smell was a damning reminder of his sick friend downstairs and his husband battling the chaos outside—and here he was, bustling about the kitchen to keep himself busy.

When the soup boiled, he removed it from the fire and poured a bowl for Rhebekka, then started filling more as he went. The broth was thick with vegetables and chunks of fish. He sampled a bowl and found the onions a clever choice. The ship's rocking had reduced to steady swaying, though was still too rough for Yugi's liking. Once he was confident the pot was secured and the dishes wouldn't fall, he carried Rhebekka's meal. She slept peacefully, and he set the bowl on the table, not having the heart to wake her.

He waited upstairs for what felt like hours—his only companion the rhythm of the storm outside. The wind sang in a gentle, wooing lull, rain prickled like the pattering of thousands of marching feet, and thunder concluded each symphony with a brassy crash that shook him awake.

Then he heard the heavy clamber of boots and rose attentively. Riggers and oarsmen bustled into the galley, stripping off boots and wet mail. Their worn faces gasped at the scene. Without wasting time, Yugi grabbed one of Rhebekka's smocks and started pouring bowls. They looked at him stupidly and he fixed them with a glare.

"Are you going to stand there all day like a pack of geese or are you going to eat? I made plenty."

At the jape, several men overcame their shock and charged for the food like starving men, but others held back. One even snapped, "You made this?"

"Yes, I made it," Yugi snapped back and leaned on the counter, shoving bowls into their clumsy hands. "And what does it matter if I did? You're all hungry, I assume? Either shut up and be grateful or give it back and leave. I'm sure there are plenty of others who would be happy with it."

He didn't even humor them by waiting for a response. With a final grunt to save their pride, the rest sat down and mumbled thanks under their breath. Others forfeited it completely and asked for seconds.

Ryou was one of the last to arrive. Malik and Otogi were behind him, and Raphael was taking up the rear. At the sight of food and the one who prepared it, his face brightened and he offered his appraisal immediately. His comrades looked less impressed.

Yugi matched their glares and poured them each a bowl. They stared down at the food with arched brows like it was meant to be some obvious joke. Ryou glared at them. "Oh, for heaven's sake, can't you blokes just be grateful?!" He grabbed his own food and shoved past his two subordinates.

"What are you even doing back there?" It was Raphael who snapped. Timaeus was not among them, Yugi noticed, and that made the man bolder. "Last I checked, you couldn't even slice a carrot without cutting yourself, and now suddenly, you made a meal for a whole ship?" he retorted mockingly. Disbelief rolled off his tongue in humorous quirks. His chuckle attracted several onlookers who paused in their meals, then looked at it questionably. Yugi did not flinch in his gaze.

"Where's the Quartermaster?" Raphael snapped. "I doubt she let you off your leash."

Yugi slammed the bowl down in front of him so hard, hot soup splashed over the side and burned Raphael's hand. He pulled it back with a gasp and moved to bite, but this time, Yugi was ready.

"Your Quartermaster is ill and your Trierarch is battling the wind and you're here, yet have the gall to complain! I know none of you like me, but I'm past caring. Like it or not, I am the Trierarch's consort and I will hold that title to the best of my ability and with the Quartermaster sick, you have two choices: you can shut up and eat your hot food and be damn grateful I took the time to serve it to you instead of hoarding something for myself and my husband, or you can stop your bellyaching, roll up your gloves, go behind here and fix yourself something. Make your choice now, I haven't got all night!"

The room fell silent. All eyes were on him now, but this time, Yugi felt no shame, no embarrassment, and no failure. No, he felt powerful. Strong. Light as air, and bright as danger. And to drive the lesson home, he let his lips curl and his brows knit. Then, low and dangerous, and in a perfect mimic of their Trierarch, he said, "And let me make one thing abundantly clear to _all_ of you: I am not your comrade. I am not your serving wench or your bedside healer or gambling buddy. I am the husband of your Trierarch. I don't care if you dislike me. I don't care if you think me a spoiled child. Your opinions of me mean nothing—because you _will_ respect my rank and you _will_ respect _me_."

The silence that followed was an echo of the wind, save for the click of heavy metal boots. The room spun and Yugi saw Timaeus in the door. For half a heartbeat, he looked surprised, then his face morphed into a smile.

"And here I thought I'd have to make myself clear once more…" He entered the room with long, deliberate steps. "Perhaps even teach some of my _slower_ men a lesson." His eyes casted a glance to the still-silent Watch Keeper, but it was unclear if it was directed at him or the Boatswain and Shipwright who had yet to move.

When he stopped in front of Yugi, his face was all smiles. "But now I see there is no need. Fool that I am for forgetting how fierce you are." Without caring where they were or who was watching, he pressed an affectionate kiss between Yugi's brows, then whispered triumphantly, "_The Eye _is yours."

When he pulled back, Yugi was blushing. Rhebekka's words came back to him and his chest hammered and suddenly, he had no appetite. Hesitantly, he handed Timaeus the bowl he'd saved.

He took it with a smile. "Now, what's all this about our Quartermaster being indisposed?"

"Daftling," Rhebekka rasped behind them. She stood in the doorway, her hair frazzled, her dress wrinkled, and her voice haggard from sleep, but her face had lost all the flush of fever. "I'm ill, not dead." She held the wooden bowl securely in one hand and sipped the soup greedily. She licked her lips, tasting the broth, then laughed. "Hmm, not bad, Yugi. I'd best be careful or you'll be doing my job better than me soon." Her laugh was rough and scratchy from illness, but all Yugi heard was the mirth.

* * *

Hope you all enjoyed the extra long chapter! Hopefully that will, tide you all over for the month, i know it seems like a long time, but it'll be worth it if I can get back on a weekly update schedule. Lots of stuff to think about ;)

As I mentioned above, i will be taking November off from posting for NaNoWriMo. The goal is to Finish Timaeus Part 2 or at least the rough draft of the chapters. Wish me luck!

_**Next Update: **_**November 30th!**

_**Next Time: **The storm has passed but another one is just brewing in the Trierarch's chambers. Things are said. Feelings come out. Truths are shared and at long last, Timaeus and Yugi _finally _talk!_

As always, read, reply, comment, critique, make notes, ask questions, post theories and go nuts! i can't wait to see the comments for this one!


	37. Chapter XXXVII: Reconsile

IT' FINALLY POSTED! AH! THANK GOD! OH MY GOD I AM SO HAPPY I COULD CRY!

I apologixeor the lateness of this chapter. I got it finished a month ago my poor grammar knight worked her littl heart out to get it to me and then the power went out...but here it is and as pomised it is worth the wait!

I waited so long to ppst this chapter! i'm super sorry its almost three weeks late!

Discliamer: i own nothing.

As always read, review, critique, comment, ask questions and go nuts.

* * *

_Chapter XXXVII: Reconcile_

That night, _The Eye of Timaeus_ was alive with the rush of celebration. The storm—despite its suddenness and savagery—had passed with little destruction, and after so much longing and waiting, the stale air had finally stirred and the wind returned. At long last, the great green dragon had wind in her sails and flight as her power once more. With their bellies fat and full and their weariness gone, there was no protest when the Trierarch ordered the sails immediately released and the anchor hauled up.

Unorthodox though it was, the Trierarch insisted the ship sail through the night; the storm had worn the waves flat, so they had neither the strength nor the endurance to resist the ship and it was not worth risking the wind's favor. She was, after all, a fickle creature. Ryou had volunteered to take the wheel—the onions had rejuvenated his spirit, though the Trierarch insisted Rhebekka check for a concussion first. The Trierarch himself "volunteered" Raphael to take the first watch. He didn't dare protest. The rest of the crew celebrated with another batch of Yugi's soup, which had become affectionately nicknamed "Storm Brew" after the time and creativity of its invention. Even Malik and Otogi, as curt and unexcited as they could, swallowed their pride and asked for seconds.

It was the first time Yugi recalled since leaving port that he found himself smiling. There were still some distrustful glares and disapproving snorts, but underneath it now was a begrudging sort of gratitude that, in some way, could even be masked as respect. It was no grand leap forward—it was no certainty or guarantee of anything—but to Yugi, it could've been a leap across the Nile.

Over the clatter of bowls, the rattling of spoons, and the thunderous thumps of mugs thick with ale came the cacophony of laughter, shouts, jibs, and even a few drunk enough to start singing—and Yugi found himself at the heart of the noise and safely distanced from behind the counter. Rhebekka chomped down hard on onions and bread and drank the brew like it was ale. Yugi insisted on giving her something for her fever, but she would hear none of it.

" 'Twas sleep that was all I needed," she insisted, but Yugi didn't trust the flushed pallor of her skin. "I'm going to bed," she announced with a yawn, vaguely aware of Yugi's hesitant expression. "Don't worry yourself about me, lad," she said with a wink. "Go and celebrate with your husband. I will be fine."

Her comments stirred something in him and Yugi couldn't recall seeing Timaeus after he'd praised him with a kiss. Until he spotted him slipping through the chaos like an emerald shadow revealing itself only when it wanted to be seen. He was not too difficult to spy in his trademark silver uniform and bits of green and blue armor.

_You are _mine _to protect._

The words came back to him and Yugi started after him, with an urge whose origin he could not explain. Ducking and weaving his way through the crowd, Yugi caught sight of him exiting the stairs. He took two steps at a time and watched him slip through the doors to the Navigation Room.

He stopped at the doors, standing innocently and ornamentally between them—the thick wood and polished gold a perfect replica of the distance that had wedged itself so deeply between them. Yugi had built that wall himself, he knew, but now he felt it weakening and thinning under the multitude of tiny cracks. He stood there with his hands shaking, daring himself to enter or turn back, and wondering if he had the strength to do either.

It hurt. This distance between them hurt, even more under the weight of memories that were only ever pleasant and frustrating. Was it truly done? He wondered, and knew only he had the answer. Timaeus had said as much, and he felt the parts of himself that dared to hope, to dream, to leap and take a chance on the promise of loving arms waiting for him on the other side of the door—even as the other warred and raged and warned against such foolery. With its bitter reminders of protection and duty, could he truly trust those promises?

_You are _mine _to protect._ He had said so that night. He had said it many times before and with equal fervor, but this time, something about it spoke of duty and passion as if they were one in his heart. That he—_Yugi_—had a place in that heart.

"Are you not coming?" The voice dropped in the silence like a stone in a well.

"Yugi?" Timaeus asked when Yugi did not answer or look at him.

His name was a distant whisper on Timaeus' lips. Yugi lifted his face and found Timaeus standing.

His smile was proud and pleased, but his eyes were lost and grieving. "You were magnificent today."

Yugi colored before he could stop himself. "T-Thank you." Then he squared his shoulders, his soul weary and tired but his mind alert and convicted. He tried to slip past him, but Timaeus was quicker. "Wait." He took Yugi's hand—the embrace so quick and gentle Yugi barely felt his fingers around his hand. His eyes were all things wounded and rueful. "Stay."

Another order. Weariness replacing agitation, Yugi wrenched his hand away. "I'm tired," he snapped, his words more fatigued than angry. "Leave me be." He quickened his steps until his hands clenched instinctively around the door handles and pulled. They didn't open. He pulled again. The doors protested with a loud wooden clang, but the locks did not yield. With a growl of vexation, Yugi wrenched harder, over and over in repetitive grunts of growling and pulling, but the wood was strong and the door was old but held firm. He finally shoved them forward with a loud, irritated curse. "Damn it!"

He didn't hear Timaeus' gentle steps approaching until strong arms encircled his waist and clasped his palms together. Timaeus' hands were warm and enclosed Yugi's completely, though not ungently. Suddenly overcome by a nameless, foreboding dread, Yugi struggled frantically. "L-Let go!" With a fierce cry, he pulled himself free and spun in his arms.

He stumbled back against the doors, but Timaeus caught him with an arm and slammed his palms on either side of him, disabusing him of any notion he might have had of escaping. As Yugi bore into the other's frozen face, he experienced a frantic moment of remembrance and how Timaeus had stood over him at their wedding: that deadness of his expression. The unbearable loss of his face, the sorrow of his guilt… He saw none of those things now. Only opposites: desperation, bewilderment, pleading love, flickering hope… He might have been someone else entirely, because his look was so full of feeling.

"Do I repulse you so much that you cannot look at me?" Timaeus' soft, fervent question startled Yugi out of his thoughts.

"Do—you—what?" Yugi stuttered like a startled animal, unsure of how to react. This wasn't the Timaeus he was used to. This wasn't the cool and controlled Trierarch whose rule was absolute. Nor was it the dutiful Guardian he had married and kept him sheltered, or the playful Rogue whose stolen kisses and sultry mischief he secretly missed. No, this being, whose eyes were all things wounded and rueful and whose frown was all things broken and lost, was the Man—the Man who'd finally shown his true face.

Timaeus deflated at once and pulled his arms away. "I don't want to fight you, Yugi," Timaeus mumbled softly, unable to articulate his words strongly. "Nor do I wish to hurt you."

The declaration only made Yugi angry. Though he knew Timaeus would not do so now, he _had _hurt him before. This was the man who'd plucked and played his heart like a sistrum and filled his head with promises, hopes, and dreams—only to dash them all away with the stroke of his signature and whisk him off into a loveless marriage of political duty he called protection.

"Then what…?" Yugi's throat closed, choking on bitterness and resentment. He squared his shoulders and put on his anger like armor, and for a brief moment, he was able to fool himself into believing he was a match for him. That he could—what? Win another argument? He didn't want to fight him. What _did _he want? What did _Timaeus _want?

"Just…" Timaeus fumbled for words and trailed away, at a loss. "To talk… like we used to," he said at last. "To try and understand this. Understand us and… what happened to us." On his face was a helpless look. Yugi's anger and bravado dissolved in an instant, replaced by a weary exhaustion that nearly made him collapse. Timaeus moved hesitantly, as if to catch him, but Yugi braced himself against the door, knowing that if Timaeus touched him now—if he let those soft hands and warm arms embrace him—he'd be lost.

"What... happened…?" Yugi trembled and struggled to catch his words. All control was slipping away like water from his skin. "You _lied _to me!" His words were small, broken things, but voluminous in their anguish. "You promised me freedom! You promised me companionship! You promised me all my dreams—" He stopped himself short and smothered his face in his hands, trembling harder and unable to stop himself. "You promised me everything… then you took it all away."

When he looked up again, he expected Timaeus to look broken and repentant—instead, he looked enraged, but not with anger.

Betrayal.

"And do you think I do not regret it?" His words were savage with heartbreaking guilt. "Do you think it does not torment me every waking hour, wondering what it was I had done that was so unforgivable? Wondering how to make amends when I don't know how to help you? Do you truly think me so cruel as to play you false when I'd wanted to spend the rest of my life with you?" His hands found Yugi's shoulders, shaking. Yugi could only stand still, frozen by shock and his own self-horror and disgust as Timaeus crumbled in front of him.

Timaeus stood on shaky legs and when he looked into Yugi's eyes again, they were wet with unshed tears—one green and ardent, the other white and ghostly. "I—" He choked on his regret. "I know you despised the hastiness of our marriage, and even I did as well, but…" Words and logic abandoned him and his tongue twisted. "Does being my Consort truly disgust you that much?"

"I—" Yugi choked. It would've been so easy to lie then. To lie and hurt him worse than he'd been hurt, but it would've been a hollow victory and he would derive no pleasure from it. "I never hated you..." Yugi confessed, his eyes downcast. "I _wanted_ to marry you…" he broke off.

Timaeus gaped in shock. For a whole moment, he just gawked at him in silence. "Then… why?" Timaeus stuttered on his own bewilderment. "W-When I asked your brother, why did—" He never got to finish.

"But you didn't ask _me_!" Yugi cut him off loudly, his face still downcast.

Timaeus blinked. "I didn't?" He pondered the statement, a mixture of horrible realization and overwhelming idiocy pooling in his gut. All those nights, he questioned on what he should do, what he should say, what he had done—what it was that had made Yugi despise their union so much, when only the day before they had been laughing. He never thought the answer was something so simple and so fixable, had he only the wit to see it. Or the stomach to ask.

Then suddenly, it melted into shameful clarity. "I didn't…"

Yugi shook his head, trembling. "You were the only one who ever asked me what _I _wanted. The only one who _cared_ enough _to _ask… but… you asked my brother. You asked my sister. You asked your King… but," he paused again. Only now did he realize he was shaking all over. "You never asked _me_."

A comforting weight settled on his shoulders and Yugi immediately relaxed. The soft grip of Timaeus' hands was both unsettling and surprisingly comforting. Yugi lifted his face. Timaeus' eyes shined with apologetic tears.

"I wanted to," he explained. "I wanted nothing more—but you were so upset. It broke my heart to see you like that and worse to know that _I _was the cause of it. They told me to wait, to let you rest, let you accustom yourself to the idea..." he trailed off, like he was lost in a distant memory. "Your sister and brother knew you better than I did, so how could I argue? And I'd hoped that perhaps all you needed was time. But when you didn't, when it crossed me that you might not feel the same for me as I did for you, I was at a loss on how to help you. And truthfully, I think I was avoiding talking to you, need I upset you even further."

Yugi listened, truly listened, and his stomach twisted in knots. "You could've said something…" he trailed off, but it was a weak defense. _He _could've said something, he realized, instead of cowering in his room, smothered in bed like hiding under it would magically save him.

"But then…" he paused, his own face flushed with shame. Oh Ra, he had run away from him, hadn't he? Ran away from Timaeus and Dartz and Mut and Pas like he ran from them whenever he was angry. Ran like a spoiled, sniveling child who didn't want to take his medicine. "So could I…"

_I _am_ a child, _he thought. _A selfish, stupid child. _

"Forgive me," Timaeus apologized with an embrace. "I did not wish to marry you this way."

Yugi stiffened in his arms. "… Then why did you marry me?" he said hesitantly, like he was still wondering if he truly wanted to know, but the question left him before he could stop it. It had been plaguing him for so long, but he'd put it off for far too long, and he knew then that if he did not ask it now, he never would. He pulled away and met Timaeus' eyes, pleading for honesty. "Please tell me. Why did you marry me, if not for duty?"

Timaeus could only smile. "Do you really not know?" His expression softened until his smile was all adoration and admiration. It seemed like such a simple feeling—this fragile, terrifying emotion that crested inside him, and yet it was so incredibly complex he did not know how exactly to articulate it. So he told the truth. "Because I'm infatuated with you, Yugi. You astound me with your wit, your spirit, and your beauty. Your will is as strong as mine, but your temper is as fierce as a lion and your heart is just as brave. Gods above, I wanted you the moment I first saw you in Mut's temple, covered in dirt and so wild you didn't have the sense to know I wasn't an enemy and yet still you fought me as bravely and fiercely as anyone I'd ever challenged. How could I not? Everything about you intrigued me—_still_ intrigues me. You were like fire and passion and wit and courage and everything that I'd ever wanted in a challenge, all wrapped in one beautiful box."

He stopped just long enough to catch his breath. His eyes blazed and burned with so much passion that Yugi couldn't breathe. His knees weakened under him and he knew that if Timaeus said what Yugi thought he would say next, they would no doubt give out under him.

"So no, my sweet one," Timaeus said at last, brushing a loose hair out of Yugi's face, and tucking it behind his ear. His eyes were bright and ardent, and his smile was all things honest. "It was neither for duty nor for protection. I married you because I wanted nothing more than to call you mine."

That was it. Yugi's weight gave out beneath him and he collapsed in his arms, but Timaeus was quick to catch him and held him tight as he cried. His body was heavy and immovable yet his spirit had never felt so free. Like a thick mantle had been hung onto him and he was only now free from the heavy burden. He didn't truly know whether to laugh or cry. So he did both.

Timaeus sank to the floor, his heavy lover in his arms—yet, as he held Yugi crying and laughing in his grasp, he'd never felt more weightless. The invisible layers of guilt and doubt and loathing and sheer hopelessness that he'd clung to like a beloved suit of armor had peeled away, leaving him light and distorted, but he'd never felt so calm and happy.

For countless moments, they stayed like that, simply holding the other—simply laughing like they'd used to. Both were unwilling to let the moment end and the lingering questions of the next stage corrupt their peaceful bliss after so many days and nights of loneliness.

"Yugi…" It was Timaeus who broke the silence, of course. Yugi knew what his question was before he'd even asked it. "What happens now?" He knew what he wanted—he always had—but he was giving Yugi that decision. To make amends for the one that had been taken from him, and Yugi knew its intention well.

"We could start over," Yugi proposed with a blush. "Get to know each other again." Could it be like it was before? The open, honest talks late into the night, and the lingering kisses that left him breathless and wanting? Would be it be more? Yugi shivered, remembering the hot touch of Timaeus' fingers on his skin. He hoped it would. He wanted it to be—wanted it more than he'd ever wanted anything.

He remembered the prayer he'd uttered the morning his life had irrefutably changed—the morning before Timaeus came into his life._ Something or someone… that was mine alone._

"I'd like that," Timaeus agreed with a pleasant smile. His warm fingers stroked Yugi's cheek. "I'd like that very much." Yugi relaxed into the embrace, realizing then how much he'd missed it.

"Yugi." His name was a low, whispering chime, like a brass bell. Gingerly, Timaeus lifted them from the floor and—with a swift flick of his wrist—grabbed the key Yugi had failed to notice off the hook. The doors unlocked and opened welcomingly.

Timaeus spun to Yugi, his hand outstretched. "Come to bed."

Yugi blanched. He knew they had agreed to start over, and as much as the idea thrilled him, was he truly ready to accept this when his state was still vulnerable?

Timaeus blinked, then chuckled impishly. With a teasing smile, he added, "The hour is late and the day was long. I'm sure we are both tired."

Yugi blinked. "You mean… just sleep?"

"Of course," Timaeus added with a dramatic, gracious bow that was all chivalry. "What did you think I meant?"

The prince blushed.

Timaeus only laughed. Perhaps it was time to stop teasing. " 'Tis alright, love. I gave my word, did I not? I will have you willing in my bed or none at all. You have no reason to fear."

"It's not that I'm afraid," Yugi protested, furiously shaking his head. "I'm not! It's just… I…"

"You have never lain with anyone before," Timaeus finished with an understanding nod. " 'Tis alright. It's natural for a maiden to be frightened on their wedding night." He pressed a gentle kiss to Yugi's forehead and the former prince blushed deeper, despite his indignation over the term used for him. "I promised I would wait and I will." His warm thumb rubbed smooth circles over Yugi's cheek. "And when that time comes, I promise you will find only comfort in my arms and pleasure in my bed."

_"__When"_, Yugi noted. _Not_ "_if"_. Was he truly that confident? Or that certain? Yugi did not know, but he felt too light to care. He smiled, and took Timaeus' hand and gave it a small squeeze—but this time, all he felt was comfort.

X X X

A little after midnight, they'd stripped down and prepared for bed. Yugi chose the silken Locrian garment from before, grateful for the soft material against his weather-beaten skin. The storm had left the armor he'd worn damp and stiff and crusted with saltwater, and his skin felt tight even after he'd taken it off.

Yugi flopped onto the cool sheets and let the feathery-soft mattress absorb his weight. He curled against the pillows and waited for Timaeus to join him. And waited, until his eyes grew heavy and his body liquefied into the soft sheets. When he opened his eyes again, it was with a sudden jolt of not realizing he had closed them, and was disappointed to find the bed empty in the morning—then glanced out the windows and realized that the sun had not risen yet.

Yugi blinked. Timaeus was an early riser, but surely the man wasn't up _this_ early? Judging from the darkness of Nut's cloak, the dawn was still hours away. Then where—? A shuffle of movement caught his attention and he spied an all-too-familiar lump curled atop the couch, a green cape draped haphazardly over its frame.

A memory grasped hold of him, of the _last_ time he's woken up and Timaeus wasn't in his bed. "Oh, for heaven's—" Yugi rolled his eyes and threw off the sheets. Cold night air nipped at his bare feet and belly but he brushed it off as nothing more than an annoyance. His bare feet smacked against the wooden floor with agitated slaps.

"Timaeus!" he screeched in his face. Shocked awake, Timaeus rolled up, his hand grabbing open air, and he flopped at Yugi's feet in a tangle of cloth and limbs. He groaned and nursed his sore chin with a palm. He turned to Yugi with a growl and caught him smothering a snort of laughter.

"Do. Not. Say. A _word_," Timaeus hissed dangerously low. His face twisted into a snarl of wounded pride like an animal about to strike, but the flopped mess of his hair and his cloak tangled around his limbs completely marred the effect.

Yugi swallowed and nearly choked on his laughter. "Why are you sleeping on the couch?" he managed through restrained giggles.

With greater refinement than the situation afforded him, Timaeus stood. The cloak slithered like a serpent from his lap and pooled at his ankles, exposing pale, scarred skin—naked save for the night pants he wore. Yugi fought the urge to blush. "Well?" he demanded.

"Since my presence made you nervous, I thought sleeping apart would be more to your comforts," Timaeus said, and bent to retrieve his mantle from the floor.

Yugi stared at him blankly. Just then, he realized that not one night had he felt the bed dip with the other's arrival, nor shift from his departure. "Timaeus?" Yugi reeled in his shock. "Are you saying… that you've been sleeping on the couch since our first night?"

Timaeus did not answer, but the uncomfortable shift in his eyes spoke more answers than a thousand words. He turned away, a color akin to a blush dusting his cheeks. "It matters not. It is late and we are both tired. Let us retire." At Yugi's hesitant look, he added, "Do not fret. I am comfortable here." He laid himself down and covered himself again with the mantle.

Yugi just stood there, unsure whether to be touched or insulted. Knowing the other had willingly sacrificed his own comfort to avoid causing him distress comforted him more than he imagined it would, but the truth of that also filled him with shame—that the other had needed to do such a thing in the first place.

Yugi resolved himself then. There was no need for such a division now, and he'd be damned if he'd let another barrier rise between them when the first had only been freshly torn down.

"Very well," he steeled himself and slid next to him. "Move over?"

"Wh—?!" Timaeus squawked and stumbled backwards in his seat until he hit the rough wood of the backrest. He tried to protest but Yugi had already slid under the blanket and was wedged tightly against his skin. Barely big enough for one person, the couch was a tight fit and Yugi had to press himself against the curve of Timaeus' chest to lie comfortably enough.

He hadn't failed to notice the heat coming off the other's scarred chest or the way the powerful muscles curved and molded under his hands and cheeks, and he shivered under it. Red dusted his face, but he couldn't have fought it if he tried. When he breathed, he inhaled the man's scent, and he smelled like the sea: with the sharp pang of salt and the fresh, open air of freedom.

Timaeus shifted to sit up, and Yugi floundered, nearly landing on the other's lap. "Yugi!?" Timaeus caught him by the shoulders and sat him on his knees. "What are you—?"

"What?" Yugi cut him off. His face was bright pink and his mouth set in a pout. "We just promised to start over, did we not?" He forced himself to meet Timaeus' eyes, but it was difficult to focus when the other was so close and clad in almost nothing. "And… we are married, aren't we?" He tried not to stammer. "And the Locrian custom is for husbands and consorts to sleep together so… shouldn't we at least share a bed?" He gazed down at their location, then amended, "Or a couch?"

Timaeus stared at him, stunned. He opened his mouth to speak but no words came out. He tried again but only managed, "I do not wish to make you uncomfort—" before Yugi cut him off with an aggravated groan.

"Oh, _stop_." He nearly shoved the other down. Overcome by surprise, Timaeus flopped onto his side. Yugi exhaled a breath and lied down next to him, but the couch was still small and he had to curl against Timaeus' side to keep from the edge. "You don't have to keep protecting me, you know," he said softly and pressed his face into the other's chest. "I know you said that I am yours to protect, and I'm grateful for that, but I can take care of myself, too, and…" He rose slightly and managed to pull himself into a half-kneeling, half-sitting position that allowed him to meet Timaeus' eyes. "I—" he started, and looked at his hands. He took a moment to collect himself, then said, "I want you, too."

Timaeus blinked then smiled. His gentle hand slid under Yugi's jaw and lifted his face. His lips graced Yugi's in a gentle kiss that the other willingly returned after a small gasp. His body flushed with heat, and Yugi felt his senses abandon him then return, heightened and incredibly sensitive. Every touch sent fire through his body and left a burst of heat that chilled once the fingers pulled away, galvanizing him awake and demanding more. His hands rose to clench Timaeus' shoulders and instead, found the rough muscles of his chest. Delicate fingers spidered over mountains of scars and flesh and bone that should've intimidated him, but instead, only excited him. His eyes fluttered close and he pulled himself flush against his husband.

Lost in the sweet sensation of Yugi's lips after so long, Timaeus abandoned all thought and let this feeling take over. The sweet softness of Yugi's lips against his, the touch of his smooth skin under his rough fingers, the other's soft, pale body pressed and perfectly molded against his larger, harder one—they were all intoxicating. The touch of Yugi, the _feel _of Yugi, was like a drug that robbed him of all care and coherent thought, and left only his sense of pleasure so heightened and alert, he felt drunk from it. Timaeus' arms wrapped around Yugi's slim waist and slithered up his sides and down his back. Though disappointed he wasn't touching skin, he felt every curve of flesh and bone through the silks and his hands trembled. Yugi was all softness: soft lips, soft skin, soft curves, and all of it melted in his arms like Timaeus was holding air and he tried desperately to grab hold of it.

Timaeus pulled Yugi close the same time Yugi pressed against him, and the new angle shifted their weight and they fell back against the couch in a swift fluid motion that ended with Timaeus on top and Yugi beneath him, their hands locked and their kiss unbroken. They pulled away only to breathe and air escaped them in heavy bursts, and yet both felt weightless. Weightless like they were floating in water, drowning, and had no desire to swim and leave this fluid, liquid place.

They didn't kiss again. Instead, they lied there, curled together—perfectly fitting into one another like the pieces of a puzzle. Yugi pressed his cheek against Timaeus' chest and the other stroked his hair with soft, delicate touches that made him giggle.

"Quite persuasive, aren't you?" Timaeus teased.

Yugi snorted but did not move from his spot. "_You _kissed me," he protested.

"And _you _kissed me back," Timaeus countered. "Though I am pleased you did. I have longed to kiss you again."

Yugi blushed at the statement and pushed himself deeper against the man's chest to hide it. Warmth radiated from his makeshift pillow, but it was a different kind of warmth from what he was used to. Different, raw, and surprisingly comforting. "You _are_ my husband. I should like you kissing me."

"Ah." Timaeus gave a gasp of mock surprise and triumph. "So you _do _like me?" he teased.

Yugi blushed deeper, then snorted. "I _did_."

He felt Timaeus deflate. "As in you don't now?"

There was no masking the sadness, and hearing it made Yugi sit up, immediately guilty but unsure how to articulate his feelings. So he decided to tell the truth. "I'm not sure. I _do_ like you when you're not acting all commanding, but," he paused. "I don't know you. I mean, I know _you_, but I know almost nothing _about _you. I've heard rumors and tales: that you were raised by a dragon, sprouted full grown from the sea, saved the king from pirates…"

Timaeus laughed, and to Yugi's delight, it was a merry one. "Oh, I'm afraid I am not as exciting as the tales. I was born just like any other man. I had a father, a mother, and a pleasant childhood."

"And after childhood?" Yugi asked curiously.

Timaeus' expression dropped to a frown. "That is not a tale I like to tell." It was curt and unelaborate, but the words were honest and the tone was sweet. For Yugi, it was enough.

Yugi couldn't remember lowering his eyes, but he felt Timaeus' warm fingers brush his face and redirect his gaze. On his face was a soft smile. " 'Tis nothing against you, my sweetling," Timaeus explained. "There is much of my past I am not pleased with. I consider Locri my home now and my present life. I have no need for the pains of the past. It is my own and I have made my peace with it."

The response saddened him, but Yugi nodded his head respectfully.

"But…" Timaeus added and Yugi immediately perked up. "Perhaps one day, sharing the tale will not be a burden if you are there to listen." Yugi didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He chose to laugh.

"Perhaps," Yugi teased with a giggle of touched delight, "I will be interested enough to listen."

"Is that a challenge, little one?" Timaeus eyes lit up, recognizing their old game.

"Mayhaps it is," Yugi rolled away and flashed him a teasing smile.

"Well, then…" Timaeus' arm slithered around Yugi's waist and pulled him close. With a cry of shock and excitement, Yugi found himself crushed against the other's chest, his back pressed to the cushions and Timaeus on top of him. "I suppose I'll just have to try harder to change that."

Yugi blushed, heart pounding and lungs constricting with excitement. He held his breath and waited for the passionate ravish the devilish fire blazing in Timaeus' emerald and pearl eyes promised.

Timaeus pressed a gentle kiss to his forehead. Yugi exhaled and liquefied in an instant, but he did not feel disappointed.

Timaeus only chuckled, admiring how perfectly Yugi's body curved into his. His smaller, softer frame, modeled against his tougher and harder one like it was meant to be there. _So perfect._ Yugi was not a shy thing, he noted—passion came easily enough, but affection was something he was still new to. He would need a gentle awakening. "And…" Timaeus teased, wrapping his arms around Yugi's waist tightly.

"As your _husband_, I reserve the right to hold you. _Just_ hold you if that will ease your mind."

Yugi flashed a stubborn face, but there was no masking the pleasure Timaeus found there. With a proud nose, raised high, he relented, "I guess that's alright." And proceeded to snuggle into Timaeus' chest.

For the first time since their wedding night, both husband and consort slept peacefully.

* * *

I am so proud of this chapter! and i'm so happy its posted! i waited SO long to write it and DAMN it had so many awesomescenes in mind and once i tackled the hell of the beginning (transition is my weakness) it was GOLD! i LOVED writing this chapter so much!

It was so much fun to write: espeically that couch scene :) it just fit so much to get some equality back into their relationship.

I'm also very proud of their reconcile, especially because of how even it was :) they were both at fault and it took the two of them to work through it. Also someone mentioned Timaeus on his knees, which i honestly didn't think fit cause then it could seem more like he was to blame and Yugi wasn't at fault but somehow that still ended up happening but i kinda liked how it came out.

Overall, i am just so deliriously happy with this chapter! i'm gonna have SO much fun writing the rest of this story. Four more chapters and then the Ocean Arc is DONE and about 5 maybe 6 after that Part II will be concluded. so my goal is to finish the Ocean Arc by New Years. Ambition is to finisht the whole thing but work has been evil but I have a christmas vacation coming up and i am definitely inspired!

Next twp chapters are written and beted! and as a special gift to everyone the next chapter will be posted Next Week!

As always read, review, reply, comment, critique, ask questions and have fun! i can't WAIT to see the reviews for this one!

_**NEXT Time:**_ _A supposedly disappointing morning leads to an entirely unexpected-and steamy-surprise, and after an unorthadoxed bonding experience, Timaeus and Yugi decides to make a few "amendments" to their agreement._

_**NEXT UPDATE: DECEMBER 26TH! MERRY CHRISTMAS!**_


	38. Chapter XXXVIII: Bath

FIRST UPDATE OF THE NEW YEAR! WOOHOOO!

A little later than I hoped but technology...hat can you do?

This was another chapter i was ecstatic! to get up, mostly cause i had this scene in mind ages ago but couldn't think of any other place to place it, so i was so happy when I was bale to use this as a bonding experience for them both.

Special thanks to my beloved Grammar Knight, Araminthe Ispwitch for her wonderful editing and getting this back to me on top of her own busy schedule, and of course to my beta Val, for all her help with this one! I love you girls!

Disclaimer: You know the drill, I own nothing but the plot.

As always, read, review, critique, comment, ask questions and flame away but they MUST have a reason.

* * *

_Chapter XXXVIII: Bath_

When Yugi awoke again, arm hanging limply over the edge of the couch, dawn had already risen. He rolled over, one arm outstretched to cuddle closer to the warm body next to him, and was disappointed to feel only the rough, empty couch cushions. Startled awake, he propelled himself up and confirmed that he was alone on the furniture. How Timaeus had managed to slip away _without _stirring him was a mystery that left Yugi bewildered and utterly intrigued. His cloak had been left behind and it offered Yugi some comfort in the absence of his husband. He reached down and pulled it tighter around himself—the couch infinitely colder without its supposed second occupant. He tossed and rolled onto his back and side, but the extra space did nothing to ease his discomfort. Sleep would not come again and the terrible truth of the stiff cushions and broad, wooden frame never being comfortable without Timaeus' arms around him made itself known. Yugi flopped onto his stomach and surrendered.

Awake and irritated, awareness settled over him in alarming, discomforting clarity. His skin felt tight and itched where the rough fabric brushed it and smelled like salt. His hair felt stiff and stringy against his neck. His hands felt thick and sticky from dried vegetable juice, and his face was damp and dirty. Even the light silks against his dirty skin made him feel filthy.

"A bath," he decided, shivering with disgust. "I need a bath." He should've taken one last night, had he not been so tired. Hopping up and quickly stripping himself of the silks, he wrapped the mantle around himself and opened the doors to the washroom the way he did every morning after Timaeus assumed the Trierarch's role—

—just as Timaeus, naked and with his back to the door, upended a basin of water over his head.

Yugi's face suffused with so much color, he could feel the heat radiating off his cheeks. The cloth dropped from his hands. It landed with a soft sound Timaeus did not hear. Water glistened off his skin, illuminating each pale white or angry brown scar. Free of his armor, Yugi saw only corded muscles, broad shoulders, and a strong chest that tapered to firm hips and powerful thighs which made his insides quiver—nothing left to the imagination.

The elder threw back his wet hair like a veil, scattering raindrops in Yugi's direction, and brushed a few stray, wet locks from his face. Yugi held his breath, neck burning even redder.

"Tim—" he squeaked and covered his mouth.

His sharp ears catching the tremulous sound, Timaeus whirled over his shoulder. "Yugi?" He blinked in surprise. His eyes fell to the mantle pooled at Yugi's feet, the way his lithe frame enclosed over itself—legs trembling and thighs pressed closed, and arms strategically positioned over his chest. Perplexing as it was, the voluptuous sight of his little one's supple, buxom body—naked and flushed in all its curvaceous glory with its most promising parts teasingly hidden—made his mouth water and his skin burn with hunger. He moved to spin around but Yugi jumped, squeaking louder and shaking his head furiously. Timaeus stopped with a confused blink. All thoughts of wooing vanished in an instant. "Yugi?" he mellowed his voice, perplexed. Why was he still trembling?

Face burning redder, his hands slipped higher muffling Yugi's words. He tried to organize the babelism of his brain, but it was difficult to think, to form thoughts, to form _words_. Timaeus needed to step back, he needed—

"Shenti." Yugi squeaked out the only word his currently-limited vocabulary found appropriate.

Timaeus blinked, then reddened with realization. "Oh." He quickly grabbed a small towel and secured it around his waist. When he turned around, Yugi's hands were covering his face and the cloth was still pooled at his feet.

Timaeus chuckled and surveyed the beautiful body, naked all but for his small clothes. His gaze slid smoothly from that pink face—the round cheeks blushing cutely—down his slender pink neck, and slim, graceful shoulders. His raised arms hid the best parts of his chest, but Timaeus drank in the sight of his soft sculpted stomach, soft pink thighs, smooth honey-cream legs, and dainty feet. Then his eyes swept back up the beautiful frame—looking pale, small, and soft, yet curvaceous and supple. He licked his lips in approval.

"Beautiful," he breathed out the compliment huskily.

Yugi pulled his hands away and blushed for a different reason. His startled eyes morphed to a glare but he struggled to keep it when he caught Timaeus' hungry gaze on him. All blazing eyes and caramel skin and looking absolutely magnificent, dressed in only water and a small cloth.

Timaeus gave a light-hearted chuckle and a husky smile. "We _are _married, are we not?" he repeated Yugi's own words and Yugi's face turned redder. "We would've seen the other's natural flesh eventually." He took slow steps towards him, sounding soothing. "And it is not as if we haven't seen the other in a similar state before."

Yugi fought the urge not to breathe when Timaeus' hand rose to rub his cheek.

"Is it uncommon for couples to bathe together?" Timaeus asked, letting it linger.

Yugi shook his head.

Timaeus smiled and sat down on a small bathing stool next to an empty basin, a scuttlebutt of water, and a series of small brightly-colored bottles in a basket. He patted his thigh invitingly. "Come, let me wash your hair."

Yugi registered the gesture with a growl and remained firmly rooted in place. Arms crossed stubbornly over his chest.

"Come here, you stubborn boy," Timaeus said with a curled finger and an eyebrow elegantly arched in warning—the message clear.

Yugi huffed indignantly at the other's smoldering eyes, blazing not with anger or annoyance but desire. The cold shiver that ran down Yugi's spine was a cross of excitement and fear. It tempted him more than he dared to admit.

Timaeus' eyes softened to a warm smile and Yugi's resistance melted. With as much reluctance as he could manage, Yugi shuffled towards him and plopped down on the stool with his back to the seductive Trierarch, his proud nose arched high.

Then he shrieked when a basin of water was upended over his head. Drenched and wet, he braced himself for the incoming cold, but found it surprisingly lukewarm. It was not unpleasant. He watched Timaeus stand and refill the basin by dunking it into the scuttlebutt. He placed it on the floor and removed a washcloth and a purple glass bottle from the adjacent basket.

He submerged his hands in water, poured a generous amount of the bottle's contents onto his palms in a swift fluid motion, and rubbed his hands together, creating bubbles. The smell of alkyne and lavender assaulted Yugi's senses. He motioned his finger in a small circle. Yugi stared at the sudsy hands suspiciously but obeyed. He sat rigidly and waited.

Strong fingers wove through Yugi's hair, rubbing in slow, soothing circles. Used to having his hair washed by servants and handmaids' scratchy nails, Yugi hadn't expected Timaeus' fingers to be so gentle—massaging his locks into a rich lather. Yugi bit back a moan, but leaned back into the touches.

Timaeus smirked behind him. Stubborn little thing, his consort was, but Timaeus did not mind. He readjusted his position and flexed his fingers in repetitive, vertical lines.

Yugi shuddered under his fingers and found himself remembering the way Timaeus' fluttering kisses burned his lips, the way his gentle touches left a blistering heat on his skin, the way his hands roughly held his hips and teased his sides, and the brazen _feel_ of his body pressed almost lovingly against his. Not for the first time, he wondered—what would it be like to make love to a man like this? A man who was as handsome as he was virile? Yugi imagined he would be passionate, if his fervent kisses were any indication, but would he be tender? Or would he be rough? Would Timaeus touch him gently and just enough to awaken Yugi's desire, or tease him mercilessly with kisses until he was wet and wanting? Or would he take him wildly and with so much passion Yugi lost himself in the throes of it? Would he kiss or would he bite? Which one did Yugi _want _him to do?

Yugi shivered again. Timaeus' fingers scratched intricate patterns across his scalp, followed by a gentle brushing back of his hair. Yugi responded with a shudder of ecstasy. Feeling those fingers on his scalp, Yugi decided that if Timaeus made love the way he washed hair and made it just as pleasurable, then he would take either.

"Close your eyes." The warning was a husky whisper in his ear. Yugi's eyes popped open. A chunk of froth flopped on his nose. Timaeus brushed it away gently. "Lean your head back," he instructed.

Arching his back and craning his neck, Yugi obeyed. Timaeus placed a gentle, wet hand over his eyes, and with the other, dumped a basin of warm water over his frothy hair. He continued the process, brushing the locks gently.

"My, my, you have so much hair," Timaeus teased. It was several buckets later until he finished. "Now hold still and let me wash the rest of you."

Timaeus smirked and pressed a palm to Yugi's back, motioning him to sit straight. Yugi jumped up and sat still. Timaeus grinned at the challenge and started spidering his fingers across Yugi's scalp, his touches varying: some were tender and soft, others were quick and fleeting, and some rough with want, but all of them carried the perfume of lavender and bubbles. At last, Yugi moaned loudly and relaxed into the touch.

Timaeus smirked. His skin prickled with pride. He removed his hands from Yugi's hair and rinsed them in the basin. Over his shoulder, Yugi watched him submerge the washcloth in water and rub his hands together, creating a lather. Timaeus' hands returned, this time washing the back of his neck, scrubbing gently along his shoulders and rubbing small, tantalizing circles down Yugi's shoulder blades and back. Yugi shuddered in delight, feeling the wet cloth and strong hands work down his back, around his hips, slip towards his thighs—Yugi exhaled a sigh and then inhaled sharply, nearly drunk on the gentle caresses, the perfume of bubbles, and the tingling sensation that came with the pride of being desired—only for those hands to pull away to scrub his legs.

Yugi's eyes popped open. He spun to protest and was met with another waterfall of water washing over his skin, stripping away the dirt and soap and leaving the skin soft and creamy.

Yugi shook his wet hair, scattering raindrops, and ran a hand through the midnight locks—surprisingly soft even when wet. "Thank you," he praised, and caught the triumphant smile pulling at Timaeus' lips and the desire burning in those bi-colored eyes of emerald and pearl.

Yugi's own face pulled into a proud smirk. Still, he wasn't ready to give up the game just yet.

He threw his wet hair back like a veil, sending a shower of water. Timaeus leaned back, barely missing the wet veil. A few stray strands smacked his cheek with a wet slap. Yugi arched his chest and rolled his chin seductively over his shoulder. "But don't start thinking I'm so easily won," he boasted proudly. "I'm not some docile maid you can swoon. It will take far more than that to seduce me."

Timaeus laughed, low and sultry. Then his face hardened—his smile wicked and his eyes blazing and wild. "Oh, Yugi." Timaeus leaned forward, the name rolling off his tongue—a deep, sonorous glib with all the ease of someone well-versed in such arts. His arms snaked up Yugi's legs and crept up his thighs. "Did I not tell you once?" One hand stayed there, the other wrapped tightly around Yugi's waist. "If I was trying to seduce you…" He wrapped his arms around Yugi tighter and pulled Yugi into his lap—their chests flushed against the other and excited amethyst blazing straight into burning emerald, wild with desire. His voice dropped dangerously low. "You would _know _it."

He slapped Yugi's thigh gently.

A shiver raced up Yugi's spine—his skin tingled when Timaeus pulled away. The new position gave Yugi a delicious view of Timaeus' chest: every angle, every curve, every hill and valley of aged, cut muscles and every terrifying and enticing scar. Yugi sat staring, taking in Timaeus' long, lean outline. Small faint scars decorated the strong muscles of his arms and were speckled all over his upper torso. They were almost as many on his back, but these were larger and much more cruelly delivered: long thin strips of pale white, thick gashes from swords and knives and stab wounds, and one large dent covered almost the entire junction between his collar and left shoulder. Yugi inhaled sharply, wondering where it had come from. What was its story? The pain it must have caused him… A hand rose subconsciously to touch it; it felt dry and rough under his fingers. His fingers then wandered to the other scars. Each one told a darker story than the one before. It made him wonder—why were there so many? What had he done to deserve them, if anything at all? Did he have the courage to ask?

Timaeus chuckled, breaking Yugi's concentration. The boyish smile on his face was playful and curious. "Tenacious, aren't you?"

Yugi did not smile. "How did you get this scar?" Yugi asked, gently rubbing the large blemish.

Timaeus' acts of wooing stopped immediately. His face turned blank.

"Why do you want to know?" he demanded, voice thick with reluctance.

Yugi was unfazed. "Why won't you tell me?" His hard eyes met Timaeus'. Neither flinched.

Then Timaeus looked away. "It's not something I tell most—"

"I'm not most," Yugi cut him off. He spun around in Timaeus' lap, facing the other completely. His smile softened and he lifted his hands to cup Timaeus' cheeks. "We promised to start over. No more secrets. I won't pry if you can't tell me yet, but can I know some?" His eyes lowered to a long thing sliced across his left pectoral. His long fingers traced the thick knife scar. "Were you stabbed?"

"No." Timaeus smiled, taking Yugi's hand and rubbing the back of it with his thumb. "I received this during a scuffle I had with a pirate during my days as a merchant."

"You fought pirates?" Yugi gasped with amazement then paused with realization. "You were on a merchant ship?"

" 'Twas my second home," Timaeus nodded, retrieving a wet cloth from the basin and continued to wash Yugi's chest and sides. "After my parents—" He paused, his voice trailing off.

"Died," Yugi finished. Timaeus neither confirmed nor denied the answer.

"I was… young… when I lost them," he replied, but said no more.

"And this one?" Yugi asked, changing the subject. He traced a small scar on his lower abdomen. It wasn't pale like the others, but dark and crisp like a stain with paler scrapes inside.

Timaeus smirked. "I got that one the day I met my first love."

Yugi pulled away, violet eyes glazed over with jealousy—the demand evident in the scowl of his lips.

Timaeus smirked. "No need to trouble yourself," he teased. "It only happened because some brazen fool wished to impress her by taking on an opponent twice his skill and twice his strength."

"Let me guess, you stopped the fight and saved him?" Yugi retorted.

Timaeus laughed. "Of course not! _I_ was the brazen fool trying to impress her."

Despite himself, Yugi chuckled.

"At last, a smile," Timaeus teased, poking his stomach. Yugi tried to stifle his giggles and push his hands away, but Timaeus was quicker and crushed the boy to his chest instead. The silence that followed was short and calm, but Yugi's pout remained.

Sensing his disappointment, Timaeus brushed his wet hair gently from his face and added, "Rest well, little love. It was over long ago."

"No," Yugi said at once, cross and pouting.

Timaeus sighed. "It was not a true love I felt, though at the time, I thought I was—but you always do when you're young and foolish."

Yugi continued to pout.

Timaeus snorted. "Don't be such a martyr. You are neither so young nor so innocent that you have not had your own affairs, even if none were intimate."

Yugi shot up and blushed.

Timaeus smirked. "May I ask who?"

"They—" Yugi protested, face red and nose pointed high. "—are no longer important."

"I thought not," Timaeus chuckled.

He dropped the vials in the basket, the basin on the table, and the washcloth on a drying wrack, then handed Yugi a large dry towel before taking another one for himself. They dressed separately; Timaeus donned a clean under-armor complete with his gloves and boots but left the mantle where it laid. Yugi fished through the silks and clothes before finally settling on the under-armor he'd worn the previous day. It was slightly damp and smelled of salt, but he wore it anyway, and placed the silks in a pile on the bed.

"You know you are going to have to get used to those eventually?" Timaeus teased as Yugi struggled with the links.

"I never said I wouldn't," Yugi countered. "When we reach Locri and I'm officially your consort, I'll wear all the silks and lavishing clothes that befit a Magistrate, but for now, I don't have a lot to wear and your men still doesn't trust me. I'll do whatever little things I can do to earn their respect."

Timaeus looked stunned, then smiled proudly. "Well, you are certainly on the correct path in that regard." He swooped behind Yugi to help him with the ties in the back. Yugi surrendered and accepted the help.

"But perhaps," Timaeus added, tying the last knot. "We could hasten the efforts."

Yugi spun to him. "How so?"

Timaeus grinned. "Well, as you _are_ my consort and this ship is as much yours now as it is mine and you will need to learn how best to govern it in my absence," he began, pausing. Yugi's eyes perked with an almost disbelieving hope. "I think from now on, I'd like it if you accompanied me in the running of this ship. 'Tis only fair we share the responsibilities, after all."

Yugi's entire frame brightened then, with a delighted shriek, he launched himself into Timaeus' arms and hugged him tightly around the middle. Timaeus almost stumbled as he caught him but returned the embrace. The bright face and joyous smile made his heart pound and flutter all at once and he resisted the urge to kiss Yugi right there and then. Time for such delights would come later.

"Of course," he added, brushing his fingers through Yugi's soft, damp hair. "There _will_ be a few… conditions." He let the last word linger.

Yugi pulled away with a tilt of the head and a suspicious glint that rivaled an imp's.

"First of all," Timaeus began, his tone firm. "No more of this hiding—and don't deny that you do it," he said and rose a stern finger. "If we're going to know one another again, then we can't have you locking yourself away when you're angry. Fair?"

Yugi nodded. "That seems pretty standard."

"And as a reward…" Timaeus lips twitched into a small smile. "You'll be free to roam about as you wish—without my or Rhebekka's guidance."

A new emotion brightened Yugi's eyes. It took Timaeus a moment to recognize what it was: august approval. "About time." Yugi covered the words up with a quick quirk of the lips.

"Secondly," Timaeus ignored the commentary, "As we have already agreed, no more secrets, but I'd also like to add that we be more…" He paused to find the correct word. "Open with the other about things." Then he added sternly, "I mean it, no more hiding your thoughts and concerns because you think I might not care to listen. I do and always shall."

Yugi blinked, then looked up with a giggling smile. "Alright," he said, then lifted a finger and jabbed it pointedly into Timaeus' chest. "But I expect the same from you. No more hiding things from me because you believe it will keep me safe or you don't want to trouble me." He placed a hand on his hip. "If we are going to be Magister and Magistrate, as well as husband and consort, your responsibilities are mine as well."

The stern determination of his gaze fostered no room for negotiation.

Timaeus beamed with pride. "I can deny you nothing, but…" He lifted his own quick finger and his lips pulled into a smirk. "On one final condition." His smile had not faltered, but the tone held more gravity than all the words before them had.

Yugi stiffened and nodded.

Timaeus swooped forward and sealed their deal by stealing a long, passionate kiss from Yugi's surprised lips. His startled heart immediately melted into the fiery sweetness of it, then moaned with disapproval when Timaeus pulled away, licking his lips.

"I expect a kiss at least once at dawn," he counted on his fingers, "a second at dusk, and a third at night."

Yugi smirked and licked the fiery taste from his lips. "I can agree to those terms."

* * *

I love this chapter! my favorite part about it, is I was able to make it pleasantly salacious, but focusing on the bonding and trust building between them without it becoming too sexualized...and if you'll remember from their time in Kemet, this is not the first time they've seen the other naked, hell Yugi only eve wore a shenti most of the time, so its not too far of a stretch, but they DID JUST reconcile so i wanted it to be more of a chance for them to start over, build trust and of course learn more about Timaeus.

Another reason, is some people have complained about Timaeus calling Yugi "consort" instead of "wife". There is a reason for that: Consort, means literally, spouse or partner, either a wife or a husband, there is no gender-specific term. Since Yugi is a boy, Timaeus calls him Consort, as a replacement for wife because Yugi doesn't like be referred to as "womanly" so for him its a term of respect. It has nothing to do with power, yes, consort also refers to one married to one with power but who has no political power, but this is not the case. Whenever Yugi's position or status is referred to they use Magistrate. So I wanted to clarify that. Timaeus calls Yugi his consort as a means of affection.

One other thing I wanted to mention with a lot of the semi-lime situations between them-is it REALLY that surprising? Yugi's from kemet which was an incredibly open society, sexually, i know we haven't reached Atlantis yet, but given its advancements i imagine it would be quite similar. Also, sex in ancient times wasn't the same as it was today. its hard to explain but a good book i recommend for anyone interested in the history of royal marriages (or rather the REAL hardships of being a queen, i suggest Eleanor Herman's non-fiction _Sex with the Queen. a GREAT book! _But the gist of it is, regardless of how marriages occurred, whether either party was willing etc. Sex was part of it, like regardless of your feelings on the marriage, you had to have a wedding night, one because a consummated marriage can't be annulled, two, more obviously, you needed heirs and you weren't gonna get legal ones unless you "did your duty" and more importantly it was considered a right, not just for men but for woman as well. If a woman didn't sleep with her husband she "denied him his right" not just to her body, but also his right to his entitlement, aka her dowry and whatever lands she brought to the marriage (again goes back to consummating the marriage making it legal), but also if a man couldn't consummate the marriage then people would think he was impotent or unable to "do the deed" which was not only insulting to him, but also bad for business since it made him appear weak and feeble (and there were plenty of men throughout history who WERE impotent or too scared to sleep with their wives). More importantly, it was considered an insult to the woman if there was no wedding night: especially in 1000 BCE before Athens, woman's ability to create life was held in incredibly high regard: Egypt, the fertile Crescent, ancient Islam, the Greek colonies (accept Athens), especially the Spartans who considered woman's ability in such regard that death in childbirth was considered to be the highest and most honorable death for woman like dying in war was for men. The expression "Childbirth is to woman what war is to men" originated from this belief as well as the fact that woman risked their lives every time they gave birth to bring children into the world the same way men went to war to defend their homes and children. What does this have to do with the wedding night? Simple: because woman were held in such high regard if a men was not sexually attracted to his wife or didn't sleep with her, it was considered an insult to her, saying she wasn't worthy of having children, or was too ugly and unattractive. So basically it boded bad for both parties if a marriage went unconsummated.

In the case of Timaeus and Yugi, however, Timaeus, because he's honorable chose to wait until they arrive at Locri to consummate the marriage because the Locrian tradition is for the Bridegroom to spirit away the bride from her home and carry her to the new home they will share together, course, we ll know that's also an excuse because he knows Yugi's was upset with him and he wanted to earn his trust back, first, which alone is HUGE because woman did not have this right (if tyou have ever read the original beauty and the beast or the beast tales where the husband asks his young wife every night if he can share her bed this was to prove his love for her by giving her a right newlywed woman did not normally have.) same thing.

And most obvious, they're boys in love: Yugi is 19 and still a virgin and Timaeus is 27 and in his sexual prime, they're both hot, they KNOW they other is hot and they're attracted to each other: of course they're gonna be horny and wanting to experiment, but they're not ready for full-blown sex and they both know it-so this is a way to help thm get to that point. Its not about having sex its about forming a connection not just on an emotional one but a sexual one, that's love and real life, is always changing, keeps you guessing and drives you crazy but you wouldn't change it-that's how i see Timaeus and Yugi, and that's what I'm trying to show, so if anyone has any other suggestions on how I can do that...I am ALL ears.

Anyway, hop you guys enjoyed the chapter as much as i did!

_**NEXT UPDATE: January 16th**_

_**NEXT TIME:**__ Yugi's Trierarch training begins with a few surprises. Timaeus learns something new about his beloved bride and a little secret of Yugi's makes itself known.  
_

As always read, review, critique, comment, aske questions, voice concerns and go nuts! i can't wait for your feedback, and hopefully FanFic will stop glitching enough so i get the ACTUAL reviews not just the email notifications...THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT AND FEEDBACK!


	39. Chapter XXXIX: Memories

POSTED THIS WEEKEND! Just Like i promised! SO happy! I think you'll all like this one ;)

disclaimer: i own nothing but the plot (and Yugi's "memories")

Dedications: to my wonderful beta and my grammar knight for the extra ideas and the editing and for always halping me make this story the best it can be!

as always read, review, reply, comment, critique, ask questions, post theories go nuts and flames must have reasons (don't hold back, very little offends me ;)

* * *

_Chapter XXXIX: Memories_

They sealed the agreement with another kiss, though it was quicker than the last one and not as intense. But it was more than enough.

When they pulled away, Timaeus' gaze slid to the freed laces spilling around Yugi's neck. "And we'll start with the art of proper attire." He motioned with his forefinger in a circle. Yugi spun around with a small pout and let Timaeus fix the loose laces. "What will people say if I cannot keep my consort properly clothed?" he teased overdramatically.

"I'll need an actual wardrobe if we're going to do that," Yugi teased back, only half-serious. "I don't have many outfits." Then he thought curiously and looked over his shoulder. "Why is that?"

Timaeus froze, his fingers suddenly all thumbs. "Well," he cleared his throat, trying not to stutter, and rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "As you were still getting used to the idea of being Magistrate, I didn't want to force Locri's attire on you. However, I also didn't want you clinging to the attire of your old home for too long. I had no doubt it made you more comfortable, but it would help you little in the coming days."

Yugi laughed—Timaeus looked so different, like a child trying to explain a crush.

"Although," he added, his lips curling, "I did not expect you to adapt to the silks so quickly. You look lovely."

Yugi blushed, and added proudly, "Well, if I am to be your Magistrate, I should look like one at least, even though I could barely move in those silks without stumbli—" He paused when something in the wardrobe caught his eye: something black and white, and laced with silver ribbons.

"Timaeus, is that—?" He moved to the wardrobe, overcome by sudden, subconscious curiosity, and pulled the garment free. It was wrinkled and frosted with dust, but it had not lost any of its brilliance.

"I found it on the bed," Timaeus explained, though his face was oddly pink. "I thought you'd want to keep it."

Yugi clutched the garment tightly. "Thank you," he said, then held it up to look it over. The gold neckpiece and long shenti were from the first outfit he'd worn on this ship that wasn't his, but the gold linen belt and bodice top were from the uniform Rhebekka let him borrow. Interlocking gold threads shot through the hems of the skirt brocaded the rest of the garment and belt. The silver ribbons were the only separate contribution. At the time, lovely and styled for a Kemetic Nomarch, he'd seen it as nothing more than a gold gift to buy his forgiveness. The memory shamed him but looking at it now, he couldn't shake the wondering. "Why did you have this specially made? Why not simply have me wear a new costume?"

"Perhaps." Timaeus shrugged. Taking a step forward, he lowered Yugi's hands, removing the obscuring cloth from his view and meeting Yugi's eyes. "But you wouldn't have been happy with something cold and expensive," he stated, reminiscing. "These were the two garments you wore during our happier times together. In your… state, I had hoped they would remind you of those times, and perhaps bring you comfort." His smile was sheepish, like a boy explaining a gift to his beloved.

Touched by the confession, Yugi's fingers went to the _shabka _bracelet around his wrist. Tracing the intricate gold vines and amethyst lotus flowers identical to the ones on his dowry box, he thought back to the other items he had received—beautiful things, yes, though he'd done nothing to deserve them.

"And my other… wedding gifts…" He couldn't reveal their identities just yet. "Were they crafted with the same purpose?"

"They were." Timaeus nodded, grinning like a young boy. "I believe you yourself said that things should have special meanings or they are but worthless trinkets. Your love of the lotus was unquestionable."

They looked at each other for a long time, saying nothing.

Then Timaeus added, "I knew the moment I first met you. You would never be happy with fancy gifts or pretty things. You like things that are simple and more meaningful." There was something else he'd hoped to accomplish, though he said nothing of it—he did not have to. The look in his eyes when he saw Yugi smile—so loving and so certain of him—spoke volumes. "Now, of course, _had_ I wanted to simply buy you, then yes, I would have saved myself a great deal of grief and had entirely new things made. But somehow I feel that if _that_ had been the case, then I doubt I'd have asked for you in the first place."

Yugi laughed at that—a sweet chime that made his heart flutter. Only then did he realize how much he had missed it.

Yugi didn't know whether to laugh or cry, so he did both, but the tears accompanied a touched smile. How well he knew him. Truly knew him. How many little things he had picked up on in their short time together, Yugi didn't know, but he vowed to do the same.

"Thank you." He smiled again, unsure of what else to say. But it was enough for the other.

Timaeus beamed. "You're welcome." He offered the little one his hand and made a grand gesture towards the door. "Will you join me?"

Yugi wanted nothing more than to take his hand, but shook his head. "You go on without me." The disappointment on Timaeus' face almost made him reconsider. Instead, he stepped up and kissed the man's cheek reassuringly. "I'll follow you shortly. I just have something I want to do myself first."

Pale pink bloomed where Yugi kissed his cheek. Timaeus blinked. Dazed, he rose a tender hand to touch the spot, unsure if he'd imagined it or not.

Yugi giggled and gently shoved his back, the way Timaeus used to do to him. "You go on—I will follow."

Snapped from his daze by the movement, but assured by Yugi's smile, Timaeus nodded. "Alright, meet me by the bow, and we'll start your first lesson."

Yugi nodded and watched him go. He exhaled when the door closed, then returned to the bed. Setting the garment on it, he dropped to his knees and carefully slid something out from under the wood and sheets. It sat so silently but slid with such ease that Yugi was amazed it didn't dart and slide along with the waves. Perhaps Timaeus wouldn't have missed it had he shared their bed, but Yugi didn't complain. Had he found it before, it might have been misunderstood. There would be no such misunderstandings now.

Enclosing his hand around the lotus-cut knob, it surrendered with a soft pull. Its secrets were now exposed.

The first item was an artificial leopard skin his father had bundled him in one cold night, when they decided to look for the Gods amongst the stars. He'd been a toddler then and hadn't noticed that the star-like rosettes were not a simple cluster of spots, but a series of specific, divine constellations.

Folded neatly under it were the simple linen tunics he adored—first for their comfort, then for their statement of his independence.

Then a statue of his mother's sacred Sekhmet carved in the Destroyer's beloved scarlet granite that she'd set by his bedside and chanted all throughout the long nights he was ill.

The _senat_ board Pas had gotten him for his birthday and had sacrificed countless hours teaching him to play was tucked next to it. Yugi had always been a poor student when he was young.

The scribe lettering tools Menkheperre had given him that same birthday were carefully packed away underneath the board. Yugi hadn't been interested in it then, but he remembered learning to read under his brother's patient tutelage and Maatkare's stern discipline when he complained and thought of giving up. He wondered what they'd think now, knowing he'd kept them.

Next to the tools was a bunch of papyrus letters from Mut during his travels with his mother and more recent ones when she'd been called back to Djanet—each one stamped with the golden seal of a four-winged blue goddess crowned in a vulture headdress.

A dried and preserved lotus from the sacred pool of Mut—its long spindly roots spun into a circular bracelet like a coiled snake—was delicately kept in a small package. As a curious child, he'd pulled too harshly on the root during a path in the sacred spring and had cried miserably when he thought he had killed it. His mother had turned it into a bracelet around his tiny wrist and told him that it had not died, but simply been given a new purpose. He'd worn it until the petals started to wilt and his wrist became too big for the brace.

And finally, there lay a daisy chain of exotic flowers he'd made with his sisters in the palace gardens where Ramses III had kept an exotic collection of plants around the world. He'd been roped into the activity of weaving flowery bridal veils while his mother had been sent to care for the current Lady of Two Lands and left him in his sisters' charge. The girls had taken turns dancing and imagining themselves as rich brides on their wedding day, while little Yugi scoffed and—with his nose pointed high—bragged that he would never get married because girls were silly. Oh, how right and wrong that naïve child had been. Yugi laughed.

This was the dowry he'd brought from Kemet—the night before his wedding when the most logical part of himself knew there was no escaping his fate. There were no gold trinkets or heirloom pieces encrusted with jewels, no fancy documents boasting his fancy titles or other things most brides brought with them to boast their honor. No, these were moments captured in objects and the stories they told preserved until he needed them. His secret Heart, memories of youth: bright and happy ones, others of his adolescent struggles, his isolations and sufferings and lonely nights that had become less lonely, and memories both happy in their origin but sad in their remembrance. Days and times that started off full of excitement and wonder, but then turned broken and devastating, only to end in laughter and smiles. He touched each one and let the joy and sadness wash over him like a child's beloved blanket.

Then he gingerly placed them back inside and pulled his wedding dress from the bed. Just as Timaeus promised, it filled his heart with memories. It was a reminder of everything Timaeus has hoped for; it started as a terrible omen but was now a beautiful symbol of hope and endurance. Gingerly, he folded it up and placed it inside. He redid the lid. Now it was another precious treasure. Another piece of his secret Heart. Perhaps one day it wouldn't be so secret, he thought tantalizingly. He slid the box back into its place and left to meet his husband.

His _husband_. When had he started calling him that? Yugi wondered. Once, it might've left him feeling bitter and confused, but now it filled him with a mixture of excitement and perhaps a little fear—a good fear. _His husband_. Yugi repeated again with a giggle. _His Husband, Timaeus._ Yugi like the way it sounded.

X X X

"You know… when you told me I'd have my first lesson today, this is not what I thought you meant."

"Perhaps." Timaeus put all his weight behind the loud grunt. The iron grate sank into the stubborn wood and with a heavy lurch, it snapped free. He tossed the rotten board over the edge and wiped the sweat from his brow with a smile. "But the duty of a Trierarch is never complete, whether it's operating his ship or leading his men into battle." He chuckled and set to work hacking out the old oakum with gauntleted hands. Once he was finished, he grabbed a fresh board from the pile of planking between them.

Yugi shuddered, watching him switch the iron grate for a wooden hammer and a fresh plank in place of the old one—dreading his own task once the man was done. Timaeus winkled another board loose and began digging out the rotten materials. When he reached for another board, Yugi could no longer hold back.

"But…" Yugi tasted the weak protest on his lips, but a glance at the thick, slimy, black sludge—steaming and bubbling in his hands—and the iron ladle lying innocently inside it could no longer silence his voice. "Spreading pitch?"

Timaeus paused and spun to him. With an amused smile, he arched his back and raised a finger in a dramatic mimic of a formal speaker. "A Trierarch is only as good as his ship, and a poorly-kept ship makes for a poor Trierarch." He finished and returned to himself. "First and foremost, that includes the upkeep and care of the ship, for if she fails then we all go down with her. 'Twas the first thing my master taught me, and that is also your first lesson."

From a bucket of spliced ropes, he grabbed a handful of thick, oakum fibers and caulked them tight between the thatching. The last step before it was his turn, and Yugi dreaded it. His fingers tightened around the bucket until the metal of the gauntlets pinched his fingers. He'd been given his own pair—Timaeus' extra set to protect his fingers from the hot liquid in case any of it spilled. On leather ones, the pitch would solidify and ruin them once it cooled. Yugi shuddered again.

"You cannot ask one of the shipmates to do this?" He hated how weak and childish he sounded, but the alternative made his stomach lurch.

Timaeus frowned, unimpressed. "I could," he paused, and Yugi dreaded what came next. "But it would earn me no favors. Nor will it you. A Trierarch is only as strong as his crew, and a leader made by the people who follow him. They will not follow arrogance or stupidity. They will serve a kakistocracy purely out of fear or self-preservation, but they will not follow him into battle or rise to his defense in times of crises. They choose a leader who they trust to not only protect them, care for them, and aid them, but who will also never forget what they do for him."

Yugi looked away. He knew he was right. Still…

"Besides…" Timaeus continued, and pointed down, hammer still in hand. A loud creaky groan of oars rotating in their sockets and the loud, wet swish of wood colliding with water that followed confirmed the assertion. "My whole army is busy rowing, Ryou is at the helm, and Rhebekka is still abed. There is simply no one else to do it. And these holes need fixing." He hammered another wooden nail into place. "Or we will all plummet to the abyss if another storm hits. Best not to test the Great Sea."

Yugi's eyes fixated on the massive wooden structure below him, churning the ocean like soup spoons—but their motions were repetitive, vertical loops. Wood screeched against wood in a loud moan—like a monster's rumbling stomach—and below, the sea protested the disturbance with a wet blow to the sides, sending water and brine crashing against the ship. Each wave of turbulence rocked the rickety plank suspended only a few feet below the rail and even less above the decks, but each time it moved, Yugi felt his stomach drop and his heart scramble for his throat.

"Perhaps then, we need less oars," Yugi grumbled under his breath.

"Be grateful for them," Timaeus snapped. "With how fickle these zephyrs have been, we'd still be battling along Kemet's coasts instead of halfway through the Great Sea."

When Yugi didn't answer, Timaeus turned to him and found him staring down at the sea—his lips tight, his eyes wide and swirling with scenarios none pleasant, and his brows twitching nervously. Instead of pale pink, his cheeks seemed flushed green and he gripped the pitch bucket and brush with desperate fingers.

His annoyance softened. "Would you rather hammer the wood and I ladle the pitch?"

Yugi turned about. His eyes fell to the iron tool in his hand, then at Timaeus' smiling face. He looked away with timid embarrassment. "I was never good with tools. I'd probably miss and break my fingers."

Timaeus sighed. "Pitch it is, then." He spun with ease and returned his work. The plank shook with the action and Yugi's gasp morphed into a squeak before he could stop himself. Timaeus froze in mid-strike.

"Yugi…" He blinked, understanding finally piecing the clues together. "Are you… frightened by heights?"

"W-W-What?" Yugi choked, ears reddening. "N-N-No—I—" He stumbled for words, face turning redder. In all honesty, he had never been higher than the Window of Viewing, but that was on solid stone and in his father's arms, not an unstable wooden plank floating increasingly higher above crashing oars and uncertain depths, and balancing a bucket of hot pitch. Before he could fathom a possible excuse, Timaeus slid next to him and wrapped his arms around his waist.

"Fret not, my love," he whispered, words smoky and earnest. "For I will catch you if you fall."

"Please…" Yugi blushed redder. "No teasing…"

Timaeus pulled away, frowning. "You think I am insincere?"

Yugi shook his head. "No, just… that the idea of falling is what bothers me."

Timaeus chuckled. "It is an understandable concern—that is why I did not wear my armor," he explained. "Handsome as it makes me, I'd sink like a stone."

"Don't jest," Yugi snapped, unamused.

Timaeus blinked, then smirked and kissed his nose. "Do not mistake me, love—I am a man, grown and far from those impetuous boys you are accustomed to." He tugged at the rope, looped firmly around his waist, to demonstrate its security. "I've not yet lost a man at sea and I don't aim to start now."

Yugi studied him without his armor: it should've made him look less magnificent but instead, the absence of bulky metal and sheer fabric only made his face sharper, his skin darker, his eyes brighter, and his toned body more defined in a sort of stripped-down elegance that somehow made him look more human and yet even more unreachable.

Timaeus' arms still wrapped around him, Yugi felt him tug on the loops around his own waist—his wide smile wicked and playful. "Perhaps you'd feel better if I tied our lifelines together?"

Yugi shoved him away fearlessly. The movement rocked him back and shook the plank, but he gripped the ropes to keep steady.

"You may not be a boy, but you sure _act_ like one," he scolded.

Timaeus shook his head and recovered. "And here I thought you liked my roguish charm," he snorted then composed himself, his voice earnest and grave. "On a more serious note, you need not fear for your safety with me. You are mine to protect and I will _never _let anything happen to you. Do you know that?"

There was no lie or hesitation in his voice, but it wasn't what Yugi needed. "I know _that_, but can you promise the same for yourself?"

Timaeus' face dropped from severity to utter bewilderment in a single moment. Yugi's eyes hardened, demanding but trembling. "I want to protect you, too, you know."

Timaeus blinked, then smiled. Setting down the hammer, he leaned over the pile of boards carefully and kissed Yugi's cheek. "You need never worry about that, love," he promised, rubbing Yugi's cheek. "You will never lose me."

"How can you promise that?" Yugi asked, rubbing his shoulders.

"Because I have you to come back to." He kissed him again. It was a short kiss—chaste and sweet—but in it burned the promise of all the world and its hopes. It was tender and comforting, and though it changed nothing, it confirmed everything. To Yugi, it was the sweetest kiss he could've ever received.

"Now," Timaeus continued, smiling. He slid over further, allowing Yugi better access, then patted the seat next to him. "Come here and I'll show you how to ladle pitch."

Yugi obeyed. Despite the churning in his stomach, Yugi knew what must be done and sighed with gracious defeat. Following Timaeus' instruction, he sat on his knees and lifted the ladle an arm's length away from him before carefully dumping it over the cracks in the caulking. With the same careful precision he'd used when he poured soup, he poured then spread it thickly by dragging the end of the ladle over it.

"Very good," Timaeus nodded approvingly. His eyes beamed with pride.

Yugi beamed brightly, then turned his head to the rest of the hull where oakum had come loose and many of the boards sported weather-worn holes. "Still many to go, it seems…"

"Indeed," Timaeus nodded with a sigh, and pulled on the ropes. After rigging the pulleys and settling into a fresh spot, he smiled. "But enough about ship repairs. There are many other things to discuss while we work." He left the metaphorical door open and inviting, and placed in Yugi's palm a handful of wooden nails.

Yugi grinned. "Alright." He surreptitiously pocketed one of the nails for his memory box, placed the pitch bucket in front of him, and crossed his legs over the plank. "Since this doubles as my lesson, tell me everything about Locri, then. I want to know everything."

Timaeus did.

* * *

I think this chapter is one of my favorites :) I had Yugi's memory scene written for about a year, i think: yeah a year, I wrote it just after finishing part one at my grandmother's christmas party when reminiscing with my family made me think of all the things yugi would keep to take with him,and why they're precious. it was fun to write!

The second scene was actually Val's idea (to add since she felt the chapter needed a little more spice) no idea why i had them spreading pitch but I knew i wanted them to fix the ship as the main thing seamen do IS make repair and fixes to the ship, but it did end up being a fun bonding experience for them and i got a kick out of making yugi afraid of heights, the scene just flowed! The end the same during the rewrite!

I also did a LOT of research on ancient ship building, repair and life and let me tell you it was NOT easy but the research definitely made the chap feel more authentic and i loved it :)

_Glossary_

A few nautical terms…

_Planking _— fresh planks or boards used to repair holes and replace rotting woods in hulls, especially after heavy storms that can cause water damage.

_Oakum _— loose fiber obtained by untwisting and picking apart old ropes, used to caulking the seams of ships

_Caulk — _to fill or close seams/crevices in ships in order to make them watertight. In ships, it is to make a vessel watertight by filling the seams between the planks with oakum or other materials.

_Pitch _— a dark, tenacious, and viscous substance, possible tar, used for caulking or sealing the holes in ships and the cracks between boards. Also used to prevent flooding and water damage.

_Ladle — _in verb form, it is to dip or cover as if with a ladle tool. Ladling wood with hot pitch was the best way to seal any remaining holes in the ship after the rotten wood and oakum was removed.

**Grammar Knight's Note/s:**

winkling – to extract or obtain something with difficulty.

kakistocracy – the government of a state by its most unprincipled citizens; a government under the control of a nation's worst or least-qualified citizens.

_**NEXT UPDATE:**_** JANUARY 30th**

_**NEXT TIME: **__The winds of change are blowing and as one relationship processes another sours, and when things take a turn for the worst, Yugi makes a split second decision that will change everything!_


	40. Chapter XL: Surgery

Don't you just love it when you meet your deadlines :)

And i was SO happy i made this one phew! This one was a beast! Not just cause of all the research and stuff i had to check and recheck, but also work left me with no time, and what time i did have lost the war to laziness (headdesk) but i got it done and I actually really like it, took a massive amount of editing to get it to that spot but I did :)

**WARNING: VIOLENT SCENES AND INJURY AHEAD. Nothing severly graphic but not for the faint of heart either.**

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing but the plot

HISTORICAL NOTE: Everything mentioned in this chapter from meds to chip repair to injury fixes was taken from actual ancient Egyptian papyrus and knowledge, so i don't own them but for the purpose of keeping this story historically accurate i used them

As always, read, review, reply, comment, critique, ask questions, flame if you must but there must be reasons for your rants, and go nuts!

IMPORTANT NOTE: For those interested in what's been going on writing wise, with future fanfics and are interested in poetry, original fiction and editing and writing advice, check out my profile for updates, contests and updates. I LOVE YOUR FEEDBACK!

* * *

_Chapter XL: Surgery_

The storm had cost them nearly two days' travel and left wounds that had taken the better part of three days to fix. Though the crew had escaped the hurricane unscathed, her winds had been fiercer and stronger than originally calculated**. **By the time all hands secured the sails, lowered the anchors, and secured both rows of oars half-out and perpendicular to the hull, the _Eye _had been knocked several leagues off-course. And though the drogue of the ship cancelled the threat of increasing speed and collision against high waves, they'd lost much of the time the galley's oars had earned them before.

Malik, whom Yugi understood was the Shipwright, concluded the damage early that morning as Timaeus and Yugi healed the ship's holes with oakum and pitch. The worst of it were minor, but the mizzen-topmast had splintered, leaving half her sails useless. Worse, with the storm gone, the winds turned traitorous—leaving mobility entirely dependent on the oars.

Yugi recalled with a grin and a shiver that Timaeus had been adamant against staying dead in the water. "_As long as she's seaworthy,_" Timaeus had said, standing against the dusky dawn with the rising light streaming behind him and the wind billowing his mantle like the wings of some majestic dragon god, "_then the Eye of Timaeus will sail!_" The applause that followed was so loud and infectious that even Yugi found himself touched by it—even more so when the Trierarch, bearing all the glory of a Dragon Knight, stepped down from the aft and summoned him to his side. He'd never felt more like a Trierarch or a Magistrate than he had in that moment.

After that, the oarsmen resumed their duty, leaving most of the repairs to a handful whose talents were better served elsewhere. Yugi was one of them Yugi was quick to adapt to the routine of rising early. Hem-netjer and Per-A'Ah alike rose at dawn to greet the sun and prepare the matutinal rituals. Trierarchs, or at least Timaeus, rose an hour earlier than the sun. Timaeus would rise early and Yugi rose with him. They would bathe and break their fast together, where Timaeus educated him on the customs of Locri—all basic and what he would need to know upon his arrival. More complicated customs which could not be taught would be learnt through experience. Yugi would observe and remark on the whole process with sheer amazement and Timaeus would watch him with an amused chuckle. They spoke of his duties before, but never had Yugi listened with such keen interest; Timaeus was a passionate teacher and Yugi an eager student. Yugi fell into the routine with an easy acceptance he'd never had as an apprentice in Amun's House

One afternoon, he'd learned that unlike Kemet's wet and dry seasons, Locri was divided into seasons of colder months and warmer months called winter and summer. Instead of roads and streets, Locri had canals and waterways; houses were built directly on the lagoons and the islands were all connected by bridges. He learned that women wore slippers outside in the summer and boots in the cold, and how the length of sleeves on an outfit represented one's status. Timaeus told him about the masks worn—to keep from catching diseases—by doctors, a field left to the Headwomen of each keep, and about the fantastical festivals where everyone wore elaborate costumes and masks, and of the enormous Grand House called a temple, dedicated to the God and Goddess—whose story, Timaeus told him, he would learn from the priestess, as only she was permitted to share it with others.

It sounded like a whimsical paradise, Yugi found himself imagining. _Locri is all water and stone—a magnificent city of islands in a great green. _He daydreamed, scrubbing his fingers vigorously. They came away pale, wrinkled, and dripping, but miraculously clean. With a near-cry of satisfaction, Yugi drowned the thick bundle of wool in the suds and set to the task of scrubbing.

After three days of grueling work, he and Timaeus had finally finished replacing the last of the hull's water-rotted boards sometime late in that afternoon, then set to the task of cleaning the deck. "A Trierarch's work is never done," Timaeus had said nonchalantly, but Yugi knew it was another lesson—the mischievous gent. It wasn't a difficult task, though Yugi still felt his ego dented at doing what was more commonly a servant's job than a naval commander's. He chuckled to himself. "Perhaps that was the point."

He sensed the light disappearing before the shadow loomed over him. When he opened his eyes, he was unsurprised to see it consuming his smaller frame—the evening sun had warped it into a vague, gangly outline.

"Can I help you?" he asked without looking.

"Quartermaster wants you," Otogi snapped in annoyance. Yugi paused in his work and sat back on his heels. He threw the man a nonchalant gaze over his shoulder. Otogi's fingers twitched with annoyance and his lips were pulled into an irritable scowl, like those of a skilled assistant ordered to do the job of an apprentice.

But he was no sniveling milquetoast.

"Did she say why?" Yugi pressed blankly.

"Ask her that yourself," Otogi growled—then amended himself by adding, "She wouldn't tell me."

Yugi caught the lie and smiled. "Very well." He stood and casually wiped the suds off his hands, looking proud and regal despite his wet apron and the soap dripping from him. "I'll be certain to assure what a wonderful messenger you were."

Otogi twitched visibly and spun away, his mission complete, but not before his heel—so quickly it almost could have been an accident if Yugi didn't know better—clipped the side of his bucket and sent it toppling over. Yugi didn't move or show any emotion other than his smile, even as the cold water spilled over his boots and soaked through the soles.

Only when Otogi was gone did he sink to the deck with a growl and tried his best to spread out the river of water. That was all he needed for the wood to rot again.

"That was a bit uncalled for." Timaeus' baritone voice announced his arrival before his clicking boots did.

"Perhaps." Yugi shrugged. "But I doubt Otogi will—"

"I wasn't talking about Otogi," Timaeus cut him off quickly.

Yugi shot to his feet. "Are you insisting _I _did something wrong?" Yugi demanded, his temper rising.

Timaeus expelled a sigh and pinched his nose for a moment. "We agreed to be honest with one another, yes?"

Yugi nodded.

"My men do not respect you, but it has little to do with our relationship."

Yugi looked at him in bewilderment, and he continued. "You asked me to teach you the ways of a Trierarch. A Trierarch is King on the deck of his ship, but like how a king is only as strong as his kingdom, he is also only as strong as that ship and the ship as strong as the men who wield it. He is feared by his enemies and respected by his men, but he wields his power with humility and cares for his people openly."

"And I do not?" Yugi accused, interrupting.

Timaeus only shook his head. "We both know that you do, but you wield your power like a sword, especially pointed at those you feel are subject to you. My men do not see that as strength. They see it as arrogance, and they show you the same level of care."

"That is—" Yugi protested immediately, but Timaeus cut him off once again.

"Do you not agree?" Timaeus challenged.

"I do not," he said immediately.

"Ujalah…" Timaeus dragged out his full name in two syllables. The annoyance of the tone signified that he was done with such juvenile answers.

Yugi blanched like a child. "… Forgive me," he said at last, eyes downcast and inner cheeks bit on lightly.

Timaeus lifted his chin and smiled. "Do not be. I think they expect more from you because you are mine. You are so strong that even I forget at times how young you are—how much you have yet to learn."

"What should I do?" Yugi asked hesitantly. "How do I apologize without appearing weak?"

"You are many things, my love, but weak is not one of them," Timaeus insisted sternly. " 'Tis not apologies they require, nor strength. It is to know that you see them as more than subjects."

"But I do!" Yugi insisted.

"I know that, love," Timaeus explained. "And there are some that do as well, but there are still many who do not. Otogi is one of them, and the rest are uncertain."

Unable to articulate any more questions or thoughts, Yugi sighed heavily with frustration. "Then what can I do?"

Timaeus' answer was a tender kiss on the curve of his lips. "You do what you do best." His eyes were bright and proud.

"Endure?" Yugi asked jokingly.

Timaeus only laughed. "You act."

X X X

Timaeus' words echoed in Yugi's mind for the rest of the evening. Dumping the inedible skins and scales of the day's rations overboard, he found himself pondering them again. His hand flew through bloody feathers, slimy scales, and wet, bumpy vegetable skins, clenching handfuls of sticky textures and dragging them across the wood and over the railing of the ship until a heavy gray rain splashed into the ocean. It was hardly pleasant work, but it helped him think. He couldn't really discern anything different about his recent behavior. He and Timaeus were talking, of course, and he'd taken a more active role in caring for the ship, but was it so minor a thing that it hardly counted?

With a discouraged sigh, he upended the bucket over the railing and shook his hand clean, then ran his other one through the loose gold bangs of his hair. The action brought none of the comfort it had when it was Timaeus playing with them. No ideas came.

As it stood, the crew had gained a begrudging respect for him, but remained divided. Some, like Ryou and Rhebekka, were supportive, others—the Boatswain and Shipwright, especially—held their suspicions firm. The rest, like Raphael, were either uncertain or just didn't care—neither of which showed loyalty in a consort.

His eyes wandered across the deck where the small faction not designated to rowing oars had set to work patching sails with pickers, seam rubbers, needles, spliced ropes with fig, and freshly-caulked oakum in the uppermost part of the mizzenmast. Malik guided the repairs in strict directions from up high on the rafters. Below, Otogi stood alone upon the stern deck, the image of a stony commander. Even Malik flinched at his severe expression. In charge of repairs, the Shipwright might have held status on the ship, but it granted him little power in terms of command, leaving Otogi the real authority. Though fourth under Ryou, it was _he_ the crew answered to and, Yugi suspected, the one whose opinion in regards to Yugi himself most prefer. His cold green glint focused and his jaw tight, it was clear the man's mood had not improved since their encounter that morning—had not improved at all since that first meeting.

Even from this distance, Yugi could feel their eyes on him. Twenty meters up and with the fading sun behind them, Yugi couldn't make out the looks on the men's faces, just their silhouettes, but he felt their burning eyes inspecting him like a dress on a hanger and reminding themselves once again that _this _was the Trierarch's chosen. Timaeus had encouraged him to act, to openly show his care and devotion, but the question remained: how to show the crew that he was sincerely irenic? His soups and wits would only take him so far. He desperately wanted to prove himself.

Not just for himself, but for Timaeus. Timaeus was Trierarch, and the Trierarch was loved and trusted—his choice admired and respected. His decision of Yugi as consort was neither. What would it mean for his future decisions if they protested this one so fiercely?

His ponderings found him standing on the open deck where the breeze picked up and whipped loose strands of hair against his face, once more boasting her fickleness. But these were not gentle sea breezes. It hit him like fireworks. These winds were too fierce. He'd known them in Kemet and he knew what they meant. But were they just as dangerous on open water? Or just another common part of life at sea?

He looked up, and the sails that had hung drooping forlornly from the masts had the slightest of flutters in them. The men on the rafters, where the wind was strongest, found their balance suddenly shifted and quickly grabbed hold of the wood. Another thrall soon followed, and Yugi felt the force of it pushing him back. Amethyst eyes widened in trepidation. The wind died as quickly as it started, and Yugi seized the chance to bolt towards the foredeck.

"Where's the Trierarch?" he thundered in a single breath, slamming against the wood.

Otogi stared down at him quizzically, a raised arm shielding his face against the next thrall. His long hair whipped about his face, smacking him like the tails of an annoyed animal.

With a growl of aggravated rage, he batted it away like he was trying to swat flies, then fixated his gaze on Yugi. "What do you want, _boy_?"

Yugi matched his expression, but held none of the ferocity. "Where is the Trierarch?" he demanded.

Otogi's brow arched but his expression did not soften. "What business have you—"

"I didn't ask for a question." Yugi's incontrovertible tone sliced away any argument. "I need to speak with the Trierarch. The winds are picking up—"

"The winds?" Otogi glared at him incredulously. "The winds are part of a life at sea—though I don't expect a whelp from the desert to know much about it." The words were a sneer. "Go back inside, boy; there is no place for you here."

"Otogi!" Yugi roared over the winds but his voice was a frail squeak by comparison—like a squabble of seagulls screeching over the loud, obnoxious bellow of a foghorn. "Get the men down! It's too dangerous to continue in these winds!"

Otogi just glared at him. "Don't think to give me orders!" His snap caught on the wind, making it sound like a long, drawn-out hiss. "I know these waters and these winds as you do not. And it matters not; _The Eye _is wounded and she needs fixing. We cannot stall any longer!"

"Damn it, Otogi, this is more important than your dislike of me!" Yugi wanted to scream, but forced his voice to stay civil with only the slightest raise of indignation. "Your quarrel is with me, fine! But I'll not have it put the rest of us at risk. These winds are too fast and they're growing in speed!"

Almost as if to prove his point, another sharp wind roared to life with a fierce howl. Not a strong thrall, but fast and prickly with bitter coldness. So cold, that Yugi had to shield his face with his arms, suddenly grateful for the full body coverage of Timaeus' under-armor. Despite the wind's sharp blades stinging his eyes and biting his cheeks, Yugi dared to look up. On the rafters and riggers, men were struggling to shield themselves from the speedy gales. The mizzenmast groaned under the weight of the wind, and the ship rocked violently with a low groaning screech of protest.

Up high, Malik spat a handful of nails into his palm and tried to bark something, but the command was lost to the wind. It did not go unnoticed and Otogi signaled him with his hands.

Wasting no more time, Yugi bolted up the steps to the aft. As he did, another large gust of wind roared, swooping right past Yugi and over Otogi like a wave and spiraled upward to drown the freshly-repaired sails in a fountain of winds.

Only then did Otogi look worried. He spun his attention back to Yugi and with hard eyes said, "Leave us, boy! This is no place for—" He didn't hear the electric snap of the ropes or hear the crack in the wood, drowned out by the sounds. What he did hear was a loud, unknown howl of "WATCH OUT!"

Otogi spun and Yugi's eyes followed in time to watch the farthest end of the mizzenmast's lowest yard snap and spiral towards them. For a split-second, time itself had frozen, all of Yugi's wits had abandoned him, and he could only stare at the falling tree-sized limb tumbling downwards. Then the moment was gone, and his body moved independent of his mind and instinctively dove with a desperate leap. It morphed into a summersault half-way through—his skills as a dancer not abandoning him—and he rolled until he crashed against the wooden railing and collapsed in a heap of sore muscles and pained limbs.

When he looked up, the yard—no longer than a tree branch—had spun in the wind and landed with a crash half-over the side of the rails. Before it did, Yugi gasped in horror as the loosened top smacked Otogi clear on the side before it landed, the knock propelling his own jump farther than he anticipated and sending him plunging down the stern deck's steps. He didn't just fall, but cartwheeled and bounced down the short stairs, landing with an awful hybrid of a thud and a crack, followed by a hideous morph between a howl and a scream.

To Yugi's horror, Otogi writhed on the ground, having landed on the side that he'd been struck, and his arm was spotted in red and twisted in a sickeningly unnatural angle.

Yugi was down the steps before he could think, but not before shouting, "All hands to the main deck!" to the men on the rafters. "Now!"

He knew it was Otogi's injuries rather than his command that had them scrambling, but it didn't matter. Not while the wind was blowing this fiercely. He dropped to his knees and crawled to Otogi's side. The man was half-conscious and his eyes were glazed. Yugi's eyes fell on the man's twisted arm, and gently, he grabbed his shoulder to roll him onto his side. Otogi screamed when he was moved and tried to clutch his arm but Yugi stopped him.

"Don't," he half-ordered, half-pleaded. "You'll make it worse." He rolled Otogi to his other side. The pained spasm seemed to have brought him back to his senses, and his eyes fell on his injured arm and the rising bump of his skin where his shoulder should've been. Suddenly, his mouth dropped open, his skin paled a sickly green, and his eyes expanded and glazed with an emotion Yugi didn't think the man capable of: fear.

"No…" It was the whisper of a squeak. Yugi tried to press his shoulder when Otogi tried to get up but he forced him away with a hard shrug, screaming. "No! No! No! No! No!"

"Otogi!" Yugi screamed and tried to grab him, fearful he'd make it worse. "Stop! I have to—"

"I said no!" he shrieked, half-conscious but somehow coherent. He glared at Yugi, eyes blazing and wild like some frightened animal becoming a mad beast by fear. "I'll not be nothing!" he shrieked. "I'll not fail him! I'll not lose this arm!"

Yugi blinked. "Why on earth would you—?"

"What's happened?!" He was cut off by Malik's scratchy shrill. The men soon crowded around them like a pride of jackals. Their eyes bore past Yugi and fixated on Otogi's injured arm like he was an antelope with a wounded leg, but instead of savage hunger, their frowns were pitiful—their eyes hopeless and sympathetic. Their faces darkened as if it were a funeral procession.

"We should find the Quartermaster," someone said flatly, almost like it was a courtesy. By the shallow rasp, Yugi assumed it was Raphael.

" 'Tis no use anyway… Look at it," someone else said solemnly.

"Best we just get the saw and ale." Defeat.

The words rose like an arrow, piercing Yugi's heart. The realization that followed struck just as sharp and twice as sudden.

"_Are you all mad!?_" His scream was a creature—alive, protective, and as dangerous as a mother lioness. He didn't realize he was standing. The man behind him trembled, but Yugi stood—his eyes fierce and defensive, his fingers flexed like claws, and his teeth clenched so hard with rage he thought they might crack.

Only Malik had the gall to question him while Sekhmet's avatar. "What are you doing!? Do you want him to die?! Without the Quartermaster, he'll—"

"He'll _die_," Yugi snapped, spitting the word as if it were a curse, "if you take off his arm like a pack of savage jackals!" His glare hardened and his claws sharpened, his scowl morphed into a mirthless laugh. "I take it back, you men are not mad—you're _daft_!"

They all rose to protest, but Yugi silenced them with a sharp retort. "You'd rather cripple a man than bother saving him." He ignored their stunned silence and stomped through the circle, scrutinizing each member of the crowd. "Who has a cloak?"

The question caught them all off-guard.

Yugi rolled his eyes. "A mantle? Jerkin? _Anything?_" His eyes continued searching, then fixated on Raphael standing stupefied at the back. "Raphael?" He shoved anyone foolish enough not to move aside. "Take off your cloak," he demanded, like he was asking for more parchment.

"What?" The man stared at him, aghast.

Yugi didn't flinch. "I'm in no mood for amusements. I can reset his arm but first, I need something folded for him to lie on. Now give it to me or I will take it myself!" Though petite and delicate compared to the taller, brawnier soldier, the unbridled authority and sheer ferocity he illuminated was so overwhelming that it brokered no argument. Raphael surrendered the horse-hair cloak without speaking.

Snatching it, Yugi rushed back to Otogi's side, barking to random men. "Fetch me clean linens! Rhebekka should have some! You! Go to the kitchens and bring me honey—lots of honey—and dew, fresh dew, and seawater—and boiled wine, I'll need that as well—and see if we have _shemshemet_! "

"Shemshemet?" Someone asked, baffled?

"The Medical Marihuana Plant?" Yugi rolled his eyes, aggravated.

"Cannabis?" Someone suggested?"

"Yes that!" He was interrupted when Malik stupidly, inquired about the honey, too shocked to believe it had any value. "Do I sound like I'm going to sweeten fruits? Bring me all of it! You'll never find a better repellent for the demons of infection than that. There's some in the infirmary! Now go!"

The crew gaped at him, unsure how to approach the situation. Stammered questions fell from their lips as if they'd forgotten their own tongues. Yugi whirled on them. "Did I stutter!? **_Go!_**" He roared like a lead lioness scolding her pride.

The men stumbled and scrambled as they left to retrieve the orders.

Still gaping, the men obeyed, too stupefied to do anything else. Those that remained watched him gently lift Otogi up. Yugi bit into the cloth, and then ripped the thick material free with an ease that stunned even Otogi and Malik to silence. Once it was folded, Yugi placed it under the small of Otogi's back and commanded him to lie down. When he didn't, Yugi shoved his good arm down gently and shoved a ball of cloth in his mouth.

"Bite down," he ordered before Otogi could spit it out. "I need to examine your injuries and it's going to hurt. You're better off biting horse hair than severing your tongue."

He examined Otogi's arm, starting with the shoulder, and ran his fingers downward. Otogi hissed at each laceration. The worst was along his upper arm, where the wood had slashed the flesh. Yugi pressed his fingers into the wound, squeezing Otogi's good shoulder tighter when he heard the man's muffled scream. When Yugi retracted his fingers, the nails were painted red, but the cuticles were dry. When he found the lower arm, only a small crease along the skin was needed to feel the break there. He felt nothing in the wrist but Otogi's wince was sharp and his cry, though muffled, was high when he touched it.

To his relief, the men returned with buckets of water, linen, and the herbs he requested. They approached him hesitantly and left the items, then shuffled back like they were offerings to a God they had offended and were uncertain if it was enough.

He upended the saltwater over the bleeding arm, sanitized it with boiled wine, cleaned it with dew, and wrapped it tightly in honey-soaked linen. Otogi hissed like a serpent, felt the salt and wine burn his wounds clean of infection, then gasped heavily at the touch of soothing honey.

Otogi finally spat out the gag, but remained where he lay. "The bottomless abyss was that?" he demanded, his voice all breath.

"I cleaned your wound," Yugi explained. "Your arm's not broken but there's a fracture, and your wrist is sprained. I need to set them before I can reset your shoulder," he mollified.

When Otogi nodded and replaced the cloth, Yugi hopped to Otogi's wrist and wrapped it so thick that only the fingers peeked out. Yugi tested the thickness of the gauze with a gentle squeeze. Otogi remained silent and Yugi smiled.

"Lie down and hold still," he commanded gently. Otogi obeyed. Taking Otogi's forearm in hand between the wrist and elbow, Yugi laid it parallel and pulled. Otogi tensed immediately.

"Stay still," Yugi gently ordered again. He pulled harder, testing with his fingers until he felt the breaks align and fit back together. He bandaged the wound between two slings with more honey-soaked linen, then tied them on either side of his arm.

He stopped only for a minute to breathe, and the exhale was so heavy that Yugi deflated under the weight, but he recovered just as quickly and moved adjacent to Otogi's side.

"I need to reset your shoulder," Yugi's words softened."This part's the worst. but I'll keep it quick." he warned gently. Gone was the fiery commanding lioness from his face. Instead, the comforting, reassuring smile of Mut replaced it.

Overcome with the same bewilderment he had when Yugi first rushed to his aid and defense, Otogi could only nod.

Yugi positioned himself and, mindful of the other injuries, gently grasped Otogi's elbow and his unwounded upper arm, and held it against the man's body. He angled it in a perfect right, and carefully rotated. His gaze fixated on Otogi's for the first sign of resistance.

The whole ship gathered around them, watching blank-faced and silently. Finally, he stretched Otogi's bound hand to his opposite shoulder and with a quick flash of pain, the arm popped back into place—the task complete. Otogi gingerly sat up and Yugi tore the remains of Raphael's cloak into strips with impressive strength, tied both ends in a sling and wrapped it around Otogi's arm.

"There. You're set," he explained, his voice breathy. "It'll be tender for a few days, but otherwise fine. It will take a few weeks for the bones to heal, so you'd best not use it for a while." He rose on numb legs, like he'd been frozen in time and just now regained his mobility. It had probably taken no more than half the time to walk a mile to see to all of Otogi's wounds, but for Yugi, it could've been ten years.

Otogi spat out the cloth and pushed himself up. His gaze fell disbelievingly on his sling-wrapped arm, fixed and still attached—like he expected it to be gone at any second. He gave his shoulder an experimental roll and his fingers a flex. Their mobility was minimal and both were stiff, but not uncomfortable.

When the shock retreated and the reality of it settled in like a thick ocean mist, his eyes fell on Yugi's trembling form.

"Thank you…" he mumbled begrudgingly.

Yugi spun to him. Otogi expected him to gloat or glare—to snap at him to be grateful or scold him for not listening sooner. But all he saw was surprised bewilderment.

"Why are you thanking me?" Yugi just stared at him. Their eyes were suddenly on him, identical masks of surprise and befuddlement. Yugi scrutinized them all with a swooping glance and merely chuckled. When he faced Otogi again, he was smiling. "You were injured; I am trained as a hem-netjer of Sekhmet. Did you think I'd just stand by and watch you writhe, knowing I could do something about it?"

Otogi looked at him like he'd been slapped. A flush of shame crept across his features and his face dropped to his feet, unable to meet Yugi's eyes.

Before Yugi could question his behavior, the doors to the navigation room flung open with a thunderous boom that rivaled the wind's roar. Timaeus burst through, charging across the deck like a territorial dragon with Ryou in tow. With a glance from the Trierarch, the Navigator banked left and burst up the steps towards the wheel.

Timaeus stopped suddenly, surveying the broken yard and scrambling crew circled around two men: one his Boatswain, the other his consort.

"What's happened?" he commanded, a sonorous yell deep as the ocean and thundered like the waves. It was addressed to all, but his eyes were on Yugi.

* * *

Phew! We finally get to see Doctor Yugi in action! or rather Sekhmet's avatar in action ;) now you all know why this chapter took so long, it was a BEAST trying to find out how they did this stuff. Especially becaus the common assumption was you broke your bokes you lost your arsm-since the Egyptians were incredible advanced in medical sciences i knew that wasn't the case-problem was proving it (collapse)

Ironically this turned out to be a more Yugi and Otogi chapter than Yugi and Timaeus, aside from his cameo in the middle but Yugi needs more creds with the crew so i think helping the person who's been hardest on him without hesitating in front of everyone says a lot.

I originally planned to end this with Yugi bringing him to the infirmary, but reseach gave me an another awesome idea for next chapter ;)

_Glossary _

drogue — part of a boat; a device external to a boat, attached to the stern and used to slow the boat down in a storm and to keep the hull perpendicular to the waves.

yard — part of the mast that holds the sail and is perpendicular to the mast, making a cross; divided into parts (in the story, the farthest end is the part that broke).

dew — fresh water

shemshemet – above its its literal translation but basically, cannabis or medical marijuana, yup the ancient egyptians were the first to use the stuff for medical purposes. Technically it was used to treat hemroids or eye-pain and poppy seeds aka opium as an antiseptic, and for insomia, but in the "absence" of that this was a nice back-up

_Notes about used medical methods:_

All medical practices mentioned in this story were accurately taken from the Edwin Smith papyrus copyrighted in 1600 BC, currently located at the New York Academy of Science. It is the oldest-known document referring to how the Ancient Egyptians treated injuries from headaches and simple cuts to wounds as severe as broke bones, open gashes, and dislocated limbs, which were extremely common during the construction of the pyramids. Contradictory to popular belief (and ironic given later treatments millennia to centuries later), the Ancient Egyptians were incredibly advanced healers, surgeons, and doctors (Sekhmet and her cult were not known as the slayers of the demons of disease for nothing). In fact, many of their techniques and practices are better than modern Western medicine and became the foreground to a variety of modern surgical procedures—and also contradictory to popular belief, AMPUTATIONS WERE EXTREMELY RARE AND ONLY USED IN EXTREME CIRCUMSTANCES. Such as a shattered arm or a bone breaking THROUGH the flesh.

_Items and procedures used:_

Depending on the depth of the wound, open wounds were sewed up using needle and thread—if it was not too deep, it was simply treated and cleaned with water and boiled wine or beer (though this was more common in Europe).

Bandages were made from linen.

Honey applied to linens when dressing and treating wounds is a disinfectant (no joke, the hyperosmolar and hygroscopic character of honey aid in host defenses against infection) while the Egyptians believed it repelled Sekhmet's demons.

Broken bones and fractures were treated by first laying the patient on their back with "something folded" between the shoulder blades, then they pull on the two bones until the two fractures fit back together. They secured it with a sling and then wrap in honey-soaked linens.

The shoulder relocation surgery used in the story was taken from the Kocher method used to relocate dislocated shoulder, which was actually taken from a 3000-year-old hieroglyph painting found in the tomb of Ipuny, interesting enough on the sculpture of Ramses II (Yugi's ancestor). This procedure is still used today and, if done correctly, is painless for the patient.

_**NEXT UPDATE: **_**FEBRUARY 6th**

_**NEXT TIME:** The winds of change are blowing, there's a new order on deck, and an unwitting chance to impress may just shift the balance of power to Otogi's favor..._

_As always: review, reply, comment, critique, ask questions, post your theories, go nuts and have fun!_


	41. Chapter XLI: Winds

Another chapter right on schedule! and good news the next two are complete! YAY! so if all goes well I'll have the three after organized enough that I'll be able to jump straight into writing-again if work leaves me alone.

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing but the plot; the ending of this chapter was loosely inspired by a golden girls episode i was watching that just fit so perfectly it worked!

**Dedication: ****_To my two betas and fans for their wonderful feedback! I love you all!_**

_As always read, review, critique, comment, ask questions, guess theories and go nuts! Have fun!_

* * *

_Chapter XLI: Winds_

His Consort spun quickly and rushed to Timaeus' side. "We're alright," he said immediately—his face a mollifying smile. Behind him, Raphael and Malik helped Otogi to his feet, mindful of his left arm heavily wrapped in sweet-smelling linens.

Seeing the Trierarch's questioning eyes on him, Otogi jutted his chin forward like a mule and gathered his dignity. "One of the yards snapped and struck my shoulder." He presented the bandaged arm as evidence. "Your Consort came to warn us that the winds were too fierce to work in." His eyes were shadowed—his face downcast. "I should've listened."

Timaeus frowned at that. He felt Yugi's comforting fingers tightening around his palm, and when he looked at him, Yugi only shook his head.

"Stop that, Otogi," Yugi chided gently with a small frown. "It's only a fracture and a wounded wrist. Keep it stable and it'll heal itself in a matter of ten days."

Otogi stared at him inscrutably, but Yugi ignored him and spun to Timaeus. "There are more important matters to discuss. The winds—" Yugi tried to explain just as another thrall, harsher than the others, roared to life with a warbling whine.

Both men raised their arms to shield their fragile faces from the sharp, cold air. Seeing Yugi was less protected than himself, Timaeus offered the shelter of his cloak, but Yugi shook his head.

"They aren't like the ones before!" Yugi finished, shouting. His voice was practically a whisper over the wind's whistling howl. "They're faster, stronger, and fiercer! They may be remnants of that last storm and they're already changing!"

"He's right, Trierarch!" Ryou's frail shout howled over the wind. He clung to the wheel with one hand, the other shielding his eyes. "These are not normal winds!"

Timaeus' eyes sharpened at the new information.

"They're downburst and gale force!"

"Blast!" Timaeus swore so loud, the echo of it followed the stomping of his foot. He pinned his gaze above him, where the spiral of sails that specialized in capturing the winds and redirecting them were only two-thirds complete—with the mizzenmast still under repair and a handful of her wings still wounded and unable to come about.

"Damn fickle beast! Been stale for days and now it's gone traitor!" he snapped at the winds. "Those will take us _days _off-course with the sails down."

All around him, the men started muttering at the news. Conflicting dialects of Canaanite and Coptic and some Locrian all spiraled into a cacophony of counter-conflict opinions.

"Wait." Yugi grabbed Timaeus' hand, voice mollifying. The word cut through the noise like an arrow of silence. His voice was soft, but the sound was enough.

"Don't fret about catching the winds. We have to move away from them—and quickly."

Timaeus arched a brow, his lips set in a frown. Around him, his men began muttering—wide-eyed and disbelieving—but he ignored them. Gaze locked with Yugi's, his anger immediately softened under the flicker of determination in Yugi's bejeweled eyes.

"What say you, little one?" Timaeus asked, gently prying his fingers free. _The Eye of Timaeus _was built for speed, and commanded the wind and waves like they were her subjects. No one knew her better than her Trierarch, and Timaeus knew best that she was at her fastest when her sails tracked the wind and she came about flying straight, regardless of its original direction. Even in the fiercest of winds and storms, she kept her sails unyielding, and Yugi knew that well.

Of course he did. Timaeus had taught him himself.

"I know these winds," Yugi warned when Timaeus pried away from his grip. His focus was on his husband, but his words were loud enough to carry. "I saw them often in Kemet. We call them Jamsins, or 'Seth's winds'." By now, many of the men had ceased their chattering and had come over to hear the explanation.

"They're common in the early months when the winds are hot. More often, they're no more than an inconvenience, but following a storm…" He broke off to pause. "They're the only warning He gives before He conjures a haboob fierce enough to shred crops and roofs, and—if it's particularly fierce—cleave flesh from bone."

"Those are desert problems," Malik interrupted in a harsh, disbelieving rasp. "Hardly applicable for life at sea," he finished with a smirk on his lips. Timaeus shook his head in disgust. The arrogance of it nearly stole his breath.

Unruffled, Yugi shot up. "It does when the downbursts are identical to the ones we're experiencing now." He snapped so sharp that the smile quickly dropped from Malik's face. "Regardless of how it started or whether it brought dust or rain, the premonition was always the same." Yugi's insistence was palpable, but there was no doubt or hesitation in his reply. "These winds always precede a coming storm."

He let the information sink in and Timaeus pondered over it. Summer storms were sudden and short, as quick to depart as they were to arrive, less frequent than autumn ones, and less dangerous than winter beasts—but _wholly_ unpredictable. His gaze fell to the still-wounded mizzenmast and the sails yet to be healed. With travel restricted to the daylight hours, the oars their primary source of speed, and this far from land, a second storm was the last thing they needed on the open waters. The answer came clear as morning, but Timaeus held his tongue and smiled at his consort, with blazing green and white eyes.

"And what do you suggest, Yugi?" Timaeus asked—all pride and confidence.

Yugi smirked. It hadn't escaped his notice of how rarely Timaeus used his name.

Yugi spun to the stern and hollered over the wind and masts. "Ryou, do you have a chart of our location?"

The Navigator blinked, caught off-guard by the sudden summoning, then nodded quickly. "Yes, I do, but it's in the navigation room!"

"Go and fetch it, then!" Yugi ordered.

"Right." He nodded, then his expression changed to one of command. "Raphael, take the helm!"

The Watch Keeper did as he was bid, and Ryou dashed down the steps—white hair blazing behind him like the tail of a shooting star. Half a heartbeat later, he burst through the doors and, as quick as a messenger, laid a papyrus map full, open, and spread on a nearby grate.

"Here's our location." He pointed to an empty open spot in the center of the blue sea. Though scale made the landmasses look closer, the reality put the ship leagues away from dry land and further still from any of the Atlantian docks.

Yugi scrutinized the map carefully, making careful note of Ryou's prediction and adjustments with each check of the sun's position without stars for a more accurate reading, and the giant landmass just northeast of them that he knew immediately as Atlantis. But something was different about its illustration compared to the others. Red lines circumnavigated a centered triangle of land, and from it were three perpendicular lines in the shape of an odd triangle—each one connected directly to the sea.

"What's this here, Ryou?" Yugi asked, pointing to a straight black line jutting out from the heart of the Atlantian landmass and directly northeast of their position. "Is that an entrance?"

"Yes," the Sailing Master replied obediently. "That's the East Gate."

"And where's Locri?" he asked.

"There." Ryou pointed to a familiar spot on the map.

"What's the fastest way?"

"She's built for speed, so the fastest way is to sail along the coast to the West Gate," Ryou explained, outlining the trail with his finger. "Then straight through the first ring to Locri."

"And the East Gate?" Yugi insisted.

"It's closer, yes, but we'd have to sail the whole ring around the South and then haul the ship through the West Gate. It's a slower route and it would add at least another day."

"But if we sail northeast, we'll avoid the storm," Yugi pointed out with a smirk. His fingers traced both trails in parallel swoops. Immediately, the men scuttled closer to watch his movements. "Even if we sail along the coast, the wind's blowing east, so we'll sail right into it. We won't gain another day of sailing, yes, but take even _more_ damage. But if we head northeast to the East Gate, it's a straight path, by the looks of it. The storm will miss us completely, and once inside Atlantis, we'll have the added bonus of being able to sail without stopping—be it for storms or nightfall."

The Trierarch listened with keen insight. He smirked when the crowd around Yugi grew larger, hanging off his every syllable and none brokering an argument.

Then Yugi spun to see Timaeus smirking. "She's built for speed. We may yet arrive ahead of her sisters."

His eyes fell on Timaeus, awaiting his approval. The Trierarch's grin was exultant and beamish. "Indeed. I think we'd all like that after a fortnight at sea." He nodded.

"Alright," Ryou grinned, gathering up the map. "You heard them, men! Rig those sails and prepare to come about! We're headed northeast!" _Them. _He spoke of the decision and of them no longer as just Trierarch and Consort—but as a single, authoritative unity.

With a vociferous cheer, the sailors scrambled up and down the masts, along the rigging like a colony of spiders about a giant web. Tugging ropes and reefing huge, green and emerald sails until the masts shifted and the colony of triangular sails changed its shape. A howl echoed on the wind as the sails unfurled and redirected it like wings swimming on the currents of the air with a loud whistling sound.

The rest of the men scrambled below and before long, the two long rows of oars heaved and strained. Down below, the deck tilted, creaked, and swerved into its turn. Yugi's balance faltered from the sudden sharpness of it, unused to the unstable shifts and flows of the open deck. Timaeus' awaiting cloak caught him easily and he hefted him up by the shoulders, so they appeared more of a stabilized front than a knight catching his damsel. Yugi smiled gratefully. With the next shift, he spun into it and found himself standing by the railing, eyes locked on the offing where the sunset and the northeast ocean collapsed together in a single blend of colors like two lovers at rest. Together, the two watched as the galley known as _The_ _Eye of Timaeus_ heeled to starboard and prepared to come about.

At the heart of it all, Yugi beamed so brightly and his smile radiated so much confidence that, for a moment, Timaeus wanted nothing more than to kiss him. But there was work to be done, a course to set, and destinations to change. The deck was a place for orders and dictations, not fondness and pleasantries. There would be a time and place for that later.

Still, Timaeus thought, Yugi looked so happy and Timaeus was so proud of him that it seemed cruel not to give him some type of reward.

His lips parting with the faintest whisper, Timaeus leaned in—then just beyond the wisp of his blind eye, he caught Otogi limping back towards the stern. He spun around immediately.

Yugi felt the sudden shift in his stature and turned around.

"Otogi!" Yugi called him first, then rushed to block his path. "Where are you going?"

"Up the stern," Otogi replied, though not unkindly. "They'll need me to—"

Yugi's brows knitted together at the brush-off. "Not with that arm you are not," he asserted, stern-eyed and lips a narrow frown.

"Just so," Otogi protested, more chivalrous than argumentative. "I'm able-bodied enough and—AH!" With the gentlest of touches, Yugi tapped his wounded arm. Whatever endurance the man had prepared to defend died in his throat. The sound that followed lasted half a heartbeat—a wracked, aggrieved shout—but it was enough to confirm his condition. He wrenched away hissing, and clenched the railing with his good arm for support.

Yugi's neutral mask did not soften.

"Just nothing, alright," he stated, harsh and hard. Then his eyes softened. "Your arm is fractured; the bones need to set. Until then, the pain will cloud your mind and worse yet, you could lose your mobility if it doesn't heal properly."

Otogi's face contorted between frustration and fear. "I'm the _Bosun_," he protested, but the remark felt watery and overused.

"And I'd rather have my bosun rested and able-bodied than working himself into a crippled state," Timaeus stepped in conclusively. Otogi was dutiful but stubborn. His presentism was admirable but unsafe. Otogi spun to him, and for the slightest moment, his eyes flickered with fear. Timaeus allowed his gaze to soften, but his tone did not lack authority. "You heard him." He jerked his chin towards Yugi.

Otogi's face said he wanted to protest, but faced with both their unyielding masks, he ultimately hunched his shoulders, defeated.

A soft hand brushed his shoulder and gently shoved him to his feet. When he looked down, Yugi was warmly smiling. "Rest easy, Mr. Otogi," he mollified. "Timaeus did not make you Boatswain for your muscly arms." He whispered his assurance, not wanting the man to appear weak. "He needed a man with wits for planning, scheduling, and assigning work."

Otogi's face was blank, his lips a frown—but his eyes were grateful. He hissed when he moved his bandaged arm. The other moved to grab it but Yugi caught it and shook his head.

"Go to the infirmary," he ordered gently. "I'll fetch you some herbs for the pain."

Otogi nodded and departed down the steps. Yugi was close behind him. Seizing his chance, Timaeus stepped forward and grabbed Yugi's hand. The younger man spun to him, a question forming on his lips, but it was swallowed by Timaeus' kiss.

It was a quick kiss—fugacious and no more than a heartbeat—but for Timaeus and his consort, it may as well have been a thousand years, and with it, he poured all his respect, admiration, and the faintest traces of pride. When he pulled away a moment later and gazed into Yugi's wide eyes, he whispered low and sultry in his ear, "Well done." He punctured it with a kiss to the cheek and flashed his brightest, beamish smile—glowing with all the receptivity he had for the younger.

It was all he said before he pulled away. He had already lingered far too long and now was not the time. There was work that needed to be done. For now, he would wait, but later when their tasks were done ans they were alone in the privy of their quarters, _then_ he would properly premeditate his lover. Out of the corner of his emerald eye, he caught Yugi proudly beaming and his whole expression brightened with laughter and accomplishment.

The faintest trace of a smile curled at Timaeus' lips, and it stayed there long after his little one had disappeared below deck and _The Eye_ had successfully come about to kiss the wind.

X X X

Yugi skipped down the steps to the infirmary, his smile wide and face beaming. Timaeus' proud face and approving eyes were still visible each time he closed his eyes and felt a tingle on his lips. That kiss had ended much too early for his liking—he'd barely had any time to appreciate it, let alone respond—but he understood why. There was work to be done, and Otogi needed Yugi and the crew needed Timaeus. Open flirtations and obvious displays of affection were for the bed chamber not on the open deck where all eyes were on them judging for any sign of weakness.

Yet still Timaeus had risked stealing a kiss from him.

Yugi covered his mouth to keep from giggling, cheeks flushing pink. He let out the last of his laughter and shook himself to regain his composure. _Not yet_, he told himself, but followed it with a promise. _Not yet._

His crewmate needed him first. He journeyed through the mess deck and into the galley where Rhebekka already had a thick bowl of boiled potatoes prepared and grills of fish cooling on the racks. Water still bubbled over a doused fire, so Yugi fished a mug full of it and started up the backstairs to the infirmary.

Otogi sat patiently on one of the swinging cots, his arm sling resting peacefully on his lap. He watched Yugi set the steaming mug down on a table, then pull out a bowl and a small elongated tool from the cabinet, and search through bottles and jars of dried herbs for a replacement for poppy seed.

"I'm grateful," he said again, less begrudging than before.

Yugi spun to him, jar in hand, and blinked. "Pardon?"

"My arm," Otogi repeated, not looking at him. "I've not been kind to you and you still could've chosen to leave me, but you didn't. I am grateful to you for that." His voice sounded so hollow and heavy under the weight of its own regret.

"You don't have to—" Yugi started, but Otogi cut him off.

"I know I don't," he said sharply, but not unkindly. His jaw clenched with a quiver and his eyebrows twitched like crawling, uncertain insects. "But I am. And I want you to know it."

Immediately, Yugi understood—and to spare the man's pride further, he simply smiled and nodded. "You're welcome." When Otogi nodded back, he returned to the cabinet and pulled out a large leafy green sprig, stripping it of its many star-shaped leaves, and began grinding them into a powdery paste.

Otogi stared at the wall, gnawing his lip between his teeth. A question hung loose on his tongue and heavy in his mind, unsure if he was worthy of asking it.

As if asking it would somehow change anything.

"Did you love him, then?"

Yugi dropped the pestle into the mortar, startled. He spun so quickly he nearly spilled the evening's work.

"Who—Timaeus?"

"Who else?" Otogi chuckled, but his eyes had not left the wall. "You were betrothed to him, weren't ya? Or was that just a story to please the masses?" he said in a jocular voice, but Yugi heard no humor in it.

Yugi just stared at him, too frozen to speak, but Otogi's next words dragged him out from his stupor. "Or are we all just bodyguards ushering you to safety?"

Yugi snorted at that. "That was my brother's doing, not mine. I never agreed to it."

That seemed to have taken the man by surprise. "I don't understand." He tried to sit up, but the swaying of the cot and his injured arm allowed for minimal movement. "If you didn't want to marry him, then—"

"Oh, I was never against marrying him, if that's what you think," Yugi confessed softly, returning to his work. He dumped the ground contents into the mug and started stirring. "I was mad at him, certainly. Had he outright asked me, I would have not hesitated. But once my safety became an issue, I… started thinking that his interests in me were only that of… duty and not desire. I was ready to hate him forever for that."

Otogi blinked at that, surprised. Suddenly, the boy's earlier behavior at the start of their journey made sense. "And you didn't ask him about it?" He was astonished. "You were alone with him all that night and most of the morning. We all know he didn't touch you. Surely you must've talked some?"

Yugi blushed and stopped stirring—his color the dark burning red of shame. "Well, rather… it was _he_ who talked, and I refused to listen. He tried to explain but I wouldn't hear of it—the lot of good it did the both of us… If I'm being honest, I think I was avoiding talking to him in case it _was_ only duty he saw in our union." He continued stirring, though the leaves had already dissolved. It felt odd discussing something so personal and unexplored with someone who was virtually a stranger and, not an hour earlier, considered him an adversary. And yet something about it felt strangely clarifying… as if by speaking it out loud, he was able to believe it in his heart and not just state it in his mind.

"And _had_ he asked you properly?" Otogi asked, more curious than anything else.

Yugi set the mug down, a blush crossing his face—but there was no doubt or hesitation in his voice. "I would've said yes." He didn't even have to think about it.

"Then… do you?" Otogi repeated his first question, but there was an added uncertainty to it. "Tell me truly: do you love him? _Really_ love him, I mean. Not just want to bed him—I know you want that, and he does, as well—but do you _love_ him?"

_Did_ he love him? Beyond the desire Timaeus awakened in him with each kiss, and the carnal pleasures his flesh craved with his every touch? Yugi had to think about it. All of it was still _so_ new to him, he almost wondered if he had enough knowledge of the situation to earnestly decide. It would be a lie if he said he didn't, but to confess it so soon would be a worse one.

"I'm… not certain." It was the only answer he could give.

Then he turned around, the mug still steaming in his hands, and smiled down at the glowing amber liquid inside. "But I… _am_ falling for him. I _was_ before in Kemet, but now… I can't explain it, but every day, it grows deeper. If I had to guess when it started, I suppose it was that night on the ship, when we spoke for the first time and he had listened to me and held me. No one had ever done that for me before… I guess I loved him then… I guess… I do."

He was speaking more to himself than anyone else. He'd almost forgotten Otogi was in the room until he heard the ropes of the cot creak, and he looked up to see Otogi was shaking as he laid himself down.

"Mr. Otogi?" he asked, concerned, and set the mug down on the stand beside him. The man wasn't shaking violently, but his face stared at the wall—reflective and distant and with the slightest hint of remorse. "How are you feeling?" he asked, apprehensive.

"Like a fool," Otogi confessed, closing his eyes. His chuckle was humorless. "Like a damned fool."

* * *

Since last chapter ended up being more Otogi and Yugi with Timaeus as a caemo i switched it so the beginning of this chapter was from Timaeus' POV and it flowed SO MUCH better when i did! It was so much fun showing off his pride side and how turned on he is by Yugi taking control and showing how he can handle a situation...huge step forward for Yugi in two fold! XD

And the ending was to confirm for Otogi what Ryou, Rhebekka and Timaeus already know...so three down and one to go, and that last one is gonna be the toughest one yet! and i've got the SWEETEST plan for it ;)

_I had to so a LOT of research on storms, winds, the Mediterranean and a butt load of other stuff to get this chapter accurate-and i wanted to get them to Locri as soon as possible but still have time to add all the other stuff i wanted so this helped! Man this is a long arc isn't it?_

_Glossary_

Bosun — nautical term; another term for Boatswain or the superior office responsible for all the components of the ship's hull and deck—though more in terms of planning, making schedules, supervising, etc.

Jamsins — from the Arabic "khamsin", an oppressive, hot southerly or southeasterly wind blowing in Egypt in spring. This is a sandstorm carried by hot winds of the South, which causes extensive damage to crops and inconvenience to humans and animals. These storms often occur in the first months of the year.

haboob – (Arabic: هَبوب _habūb_ "blasting/drafting") is a type of intense dust storm in North Africa and the Arabian peninsula created when a thunderstorm collapses.

Downburst — modern storm; a fierce and can be dangerous series of winds that are straight lined in all directions and precede a fierce thunderstorm.

_Notes on Time and Distance:_

Just a little reminder: the Ancient Egyptians counted days differently than we do today, so a week was ten days and a month was three weeks, so a **fortnight** (as Timaeus explains) would be about two ten-days or 20 days (two weeks). I had to double check that twice because I wanted Timaeus and Yugi to have enough time to steam over, argue, and then reconcile, but also keep accurate to how long it's taking them to get to Locri, especially given the _Eye of Timaeus _is known for speed. Fortunately, my research on the Mediterranean and sea voyages helped out with that and since they've been going against the wind, or had no wind and had oars—taking into consideration they only sail during the day, so the boat is stagnant at night, and taking into account how stormy the Mediterranean was and how storms affect travel distance and time—I estimate they've been on the water for about 20 days and are directly south of Greece right now. So that storm I had them face served an additional purpose.

A bit of geography: I have Atlantis situated as the landmass between Italy and Greece in what is today known as the Ionian Sea, and the way it's set up is that the capital island is in the middle of the sea and then it's a giant land mass surrounded by three river wings of water, and cutting through each of these is a waterway that connects to the sea in a triangle shape (I drew a map of it) so as it is now they ARE at Atlantis—it's directly North East of them—but since they need to get to Locri which is the west, they'd have to skim along the coast towards the toe of Italy then travel diagonally toward that entrance to the most outer ring and then sail directly to Locri. Yugi's plan is to sail through the East entrance, located just west of the tip of modern Greece, sail diagonally on that channel to the outermost ring and then sail that loop to Locri. I estimate it will still take a few days (since Atlantis is huge and they ARE still traveling through, so possibly 5-7 days) but this way, instead of sailing on the coast which is further distance but on open sea which may be faster if there's wind, they can avoid the risk of storms by taking the river, which is a shorter distance but it's slower obviously.

_**Next Update: February 21st**_

_**Next Time: **A forgotten face makes a spotlight, Yugi makes a fascinating discover and Timaeus gives his brave little consort a "reward" for all his hard work.  
_

_As always read, review, comment, critique, ask questions, have fun and go nuts!_


	42. Chapter XLII: Symptoms

I'm back baby! I got this one doen a week early and my wonderful betas were able to d the same! YAY! Next chapter is DONE and the next three are half-way done (once i organize a few scenes) and then we will FINALLY get to the good part! (Well i's all been good so i guess the parts I've been DYING to do is a better statement :))

But I am so happy! I have been waiting to do this chapter for AGES! I had the second half written AGES ago so i was finally able to it!

DISCLAIMER: I only own the PLOT.

DEDICATIONS: To my beta and Grammar Knight for being the best writing team a girl could as for (glomps)

as always read, review, critique, comment, ask questions, post theories and go nuts!

* * *

_Chapter XLII: Symptoms_

"What's this called again?" Otogi sipped the tea given to him in quick gulps, surprised by the rich sweetness of it, as opposed to the bitter smoothness the milk of the poppy provided.

"Cannabis tea," Yugi replied, cleaning up. "It's used as a sedative, often to treat sore eyes and pain. Traditionally, we burn it and you inhale the smoke, but it has a tendency to fog the mind if you do it that way. As a tea, though, the foolishness takes longer—if at all—so you feel the pain relief sooner and you still have your mind. My ancestors found it more effective than poppy seed and far less tantalizing."

"It's good," Otogi complimented, downing the last bit. He rolled his shoulder experimentally. The earlier stiffness had all but vanished. The fracture still stung, but the strength of the cast and the tea lessened the pain to a bearable ache.

"I warn you, though." Yugi spun around and leaned against the cabinet, eyes fixated on his patient. "It works best with a lot of rest." It was both advisory and stern direction.

Otogi understood clearly enough when the sedative effect Yugi had mentioned started to cause his mind to blur and his eyes to become heavy. "Aye," he yawned. "I can live with that," was all he said before he made himself comfortable, his sling-wrapped arm braced against the wooden side, and fell into the deep abyss of sleep.

Yugi just smiled. "Rest well, my friend. I'll bring you some food when you wake up," he promised, and skimmed the room fully for the first time. "As soon as I find our missing Quartermaster." Absent from the kitchen and the infirmary, and knowing well that she did not use the Quartermaster's cabin once Yugi had been relocated to the Great Cabin, Yugi deduced only one other place she could be.

"Rhebekka! Wake up!" He hammered on the surgeon's chamber door, the other hand fiddling with the handle, and pushed it open with a bang. "It's well past midday and you're still—" The sentence caught in his throat and died there. The mug he'd been holding dropped with a loud wooden clatter to the floor in his shock.

"Rhebekka!" he screamed, and rushed over to the collapsed girl. He found her unconscious and half-flopped over the side of her bed, her skin abnormally pale and her blonde hair haggard in a dirty mess of tangles like it hadn't been washed or brushed in a week. Her arms were stretched towards the urn in the corner. The stench of bile hit Yugi like a slap of rotted meat, and he choked on the smell of it and covered his face.

"Rhebekka…" he coughed out, and carefully rolled the woman onto her back. Though pale, her face had a feverish flush and her bangs clung damply to her sweaty forehead. Her pale lips were parted slightly and wet, like she'd downed a heavy drink and passed out before she could wipe the excess away. At least her breathing was stable, Yugi noticed with immediate relief. The fever-red flush had not spread to her chest. Her surgeon dress was creased and wrinkled from sleep, and the bodice had come undone about her chest and stomach, exposing her cleavage in side flashes.

Carefully, so as not to discomfort her, Yugi shook her shoulders, calling softly, "Rhebekka, Rhebekka. Wake up." It did nothing. "Rhebekka," he called louder, shaking her a little harder. Her reaction was a slur of grumbled and sleep-spoken murmurs as she rolled back onto her side and pillowed her chest and head in the folds of her arms.

"Rhebekka!" Yugi half-shouted and shoved her back roughly. She shuddered with the action and the jolt stimulated her body just enough to regain consciousness.

"What!?" she grouched, her eyes filmy.

"Are you alright?" Yugi asked, uncertain. "You looked…" He couldn't finish.

Rhebekka blinked, then shook her head wildly and pulled out a small copper plate that served as a looking glass. She gasped for a moment then laughed, rough and scratchy. "Well, damn me!" She threw back her hair like a veil and pulled herself up. She washed her vase in a basin of water, dumped the contents of the urn out the only window with a latch, shouted for a brush while she fixed her ribbons, and hissed loudly and tossed them aside.

"Are you alright?" Yugi asked, hesitantly handing her a wooden comb.

"I'm fine," she groaned, massaging her breasts and belly. "Damn thing was just uncomfortable."

"You looked terrible, and you were vomiting," Yugi choked, feeling his throat constrict—the memory of that stench churning his own stomach. "I mean… that wasn't from my—" he paused, the pit in his stomach no longer turning but still making him feel sick, "—my soup, was it?" he finally choked out and held his belly, suddenly nauseous. He was no gastronome when it came to cooking, but surely it hadn't…

She spun to him, her face a bewildered mask. With her dress done, her hair brushed, and her face cooled and cleared by water, she looked every inch the proper lady—and it was almost impossible to imagine the feeble, sickly girl Yugi has seen sprawled across the bed moments before.

"Oh, wipe the worry from your face." The girl gave a nonchalant wave. " 'Twas nothing you did. That damn storm just made me seasick, is all. It fades by midday." She dropped the comb onto the dresser and stretched her arms wide over the other, then arched backwards in a slight, perfect crescent. She held the position still, then relaxed and shook the tiredness from her muscles.

"Just so, what'd I miss?"

Yugi told her.

When he was finished, her eyes widened like a bullfrog's and she burst out laughing. "Well, damn me, I take a nap for once and I miss everything!" she chuckled. "And Otogi _apologized_ to you? I thought I'd be an old crone before I saw the day that stubborn git apologized for anything! Ha ha!" Her laughter was rich, full of mirth, and so refreshing after such a taxing day that Yugi could only laugh with her.

"Well, in his defense, I wasn't the kindest healer," Yugi admitted, recalling the men's skittish responses to his snapping orders.

"Oh, bah!" Rhebekka scoffed, downing a swig of fresh water from the scuttlebutt. "Kindness is for recovery, like your Goddess Mut. But when you're slaying disease and saving lives with nothing more than a sprig of plants, a bucket of water, and some wraps, I say ya bite your tongue and let the lioness roar." She said it with a smirk so arrogant, it could've been mistaken for cruel. Suddenly, she coughed and slammed the mug down hard. Yugi jumped to her side.

"Oh, don't fuss," she said, pulling herself up. "Drank too fast, is all." She brushed it off—though Yugi's frown made it clear he was not convinced. Rhebekka ignored him. "Come, come, we've got dinner to fix."

"You already made dinner," Yugi corrected, cool and even. "The potatoes and the fish."

"That'll never be enough," Rhebekka said, starting for the stairs. "Just so, I've must've been asleep for hours so it's probably all gone bad by now."

"Then let me finish it," Yugi snapped, grabbing her arm when she nearly stumbled. She fixed him with a glare but Yugi did not flinch. "Seasick or not, you might be contagious. You, above all, should know the risks of you being ill in any way."

She glared at him harder, but her eyes flickered with something that wasn't anger. Yugi recognized it at once: a spark of rejection—fear. The same Otogi's eyes had shared just before Yugi convinced him to go to the infirmary.

He released her arm and squeezed her hand instead. "You already do so much, Rhebekka," Yugi assured. "As Quartermaster, as well as your other duties. You deserve some rest."

With a begrudging snort, she relented, but did not do so quietly. Stomping her feet and vocalizing voluminous protests the entire trip back to her bed, she finally plopped down and only quieted when she allowed herself to pass out—like a child protesting bedtime. Yugi giggled and covered her with a blanket, then left to finish the dinner she started.

Before long, there were racks of dried fish—grilled and seasoned with lemon and garlic—and a large pot of baked potatoes, seasoned with garlic and an assortment of herbs he'd chosen specifically for their strong circulatory properties. He distributed the plates on the tables just as the crew started piling down for dinner. Yugi quickly filled two plates for Otogi and Rhebekka, and escaped the boisterous ruckus through the back steps to the infirmary. He set Otogi's on the table and left Rhebekka's in her room, where she devoured it greedily.

He took his and Timaeus' portions back to the sterncastle, a tradition they'd started in prelude to Timaeus' evening kiss. A grin spread across his blushing face. Quickening his pace, he found the Navigation Room alit with candles. The maps and markers were cleared away, replaced by a silk tablecloth set with pewter silverware and lotus-embossed glasses. The butterflies fluttering in his stomach burst into a kaleidoscope; his smile nearly split his face. Now where was his husband? he wondered.

No sooner had he set the plates down that he had his answer. Timaeus spun him around and kissed him hard on the mouth. Yugi's lips parted with no resistance and he wove his arms around the other's neck. Timaeus kissed him long and deep with a sweet and restless tongue. He pressed Yugi's back deeper into the table. Yugi hissed into the kiss, but found the pain invigorating and raised his hips higher. His fingers wove into the elder's hair and pulled.

Timaeus kissed him harder, his hands finding Yugi's hips and hiking him onto the table. Strong hands pushed apart his thighs and pulled Yugi flush against him. Yugi broke the kiss with a loud gasp of shock, barely able to catch his breath before Timaeus found his lips again—kissing him with wild, reckless abandon.

He let go of Timaeus' neck. One hand gripped the rim of the table, steading him weakly; the other snaked around the man's broad shoulders and pulled him closer. His lips and tongue loosened, completing the formalities of surrender. Tiny sparks burst across his skin where Timaeus touched him, until Yugi couldn't remember anything else but this man's caress and the taste of his soft lips.

Then it ended with a small pop and a loud, panting gasp. Their limbs detangled and their faces met, flushed and wild-eyed. Timaeus seized Yugi by the shoulders and pulled him so close he could almost taste the ghost of the other's lips. "You were magnificent." His voice was all breath, his eyes blazing.

"Thank you," Yugi panted through an impish smirk.

Timaeus went to steal another kiss, but his lips found Yugi's finger instead.

"Not too hasty, love," Yugi teased coquettishly, though his lips and skin burned for more contact. "Our agreement is for _one _kiss in the evening. You must wait until tonight for the next one."

Timaeus' emerald eye blazed wild and green, but the other bore a muted patience like a lioness in hunting. His lips curled with accepted challenge—with a smile that nearly slit his face and made Yugi shiver. He leaned tantalizingly close, his breath warming Yugi's lips, and his words feathered over Yugi's ears. "Then I shall do my best to be patient." He sealed the promise with an intoxicatingly slow kiss to the cheek. Then placed another on Yugi's chin, then down his neck, towards his collar, then lower still—

"W-Wait a minute…" Yugi's tongue stumbled over the words, his control slipping. "Didn't you just promise—"

"I did," Timaeus said against his skin, his face buried against the junction of Yugi's throat and littered it with kisses. "But you never said I couldn't kiss you elsewhere instead, did you?"

Yugi felt that devilish smirk of his curling against his skin, and so he chuckled and playfully punched his shoulder.

Then too quickly for his dazed mind to comprehend it, Timaeus pulled away and looked into his eyes. "Unless… you wish for me to stop?" All the humor was gone from his eyes, but his smile was gentle. "Do you wish for me to stop?"

The question made him pause for a minute. _Did_ he want him to stop? The past few days with him like this had been pure bliss, like they had been those pleasant days back in Djanet, where they'd spend them together and conclude them with kisses that left him breathless and giggling and barely able to sleep in expectation for tomorrow. The argument and events that all but ruined them seemed no more than a disturbing nightmare he'd woken up from, and one Timaeus' kisses and affections had chased away.

But there was another question in the first one—one that left Yugi bursting with uncertainty. Did he trust him? If he accepted him, allowed himself to _truly_ be his, would Timaeus become his lover? If not in consumption, then in some form, at least?

He felt the heat of the other's breath and Yugi looked into his eyes, and saw the hesitance in them—like he was holding back some terrible, ferocious beast he did not wish for the other to see, but would do anything within his power to protect him from. But it was there—waiting, hoping, praying for the other to accept him, to forgive him, to trust him, to believe him. Yugi looked at him deeply, and for a moment, he said nothing.

Then he took the other's face in his hands and smiled.

"No." There was no doubt or hesitation in his answer. "I want you to keep kissing me."

Timaeus needed no further instruction. Bursting with delight, his hands clenched and slammed against the table, trapping Yugi's hips between them—but the younger simply tilted his chin, presenting his neck for more kisses. He surrendered to Timaeus' talented lips and tongue. His fingers gripped the edge of the table so tightly that his nails left grooves on the wood, never so pleased to have to lose a game. But after a few minutes of torturous reward, he heard the faint clinking of plates through his serenade of moans, and so he titled his face to the side—causing Timaeus to miss his cheek and kiss behind his ear.

"As much as I would love to continue this, we need to eat," he explained, gently shoving Timaeus away with the greatest of reluctance. "Or else supper's not going to keep."

Begrudgingly, Timaeus pulled away. "Forgive me," he said, breathless. "I find it more and more difficult to hold myself back around you," he confessed, stroking Yugi's cheek.

Yugi giggled, blushing. He couldn't explain why the comment pleased him so.

Timaeus helped him to his chair, poured them both wine from the private reserve, and held his glass in a toast. "You were brilliant today," he praised and took a small sip. "I said you would be."

Yugi flushed and grinned. "Aye, you did. Perhaps I should take your advice more often if it leads to such wonderful rewards." He smiled coquettishly. Timaeus' eyes were blazing again, dark as desire—but bright as danger.

"Aye." He slid his chair closer. "Perhaps you should."

"Eat your fish before it spoils." Yugi blushed, sensing his control once again wavering under the weight of Timaeus' spell. Why was it so easy to fall for him? Why did his every promise hold such sway over Yugi's spirit that he felt like he was drowning, yet he had no desire to swim? Why did a single spontaneous kiss or perfectly-placed gesture leave him breathless and spinning? "Rhebekka and I worked hard to prepare it." He changed the subject quickly.

Timaeus chuckled, but adhered. "How fares our ever-boisterous Quartermaster?"

"Exhausted and ill, though she does her best to hide it," Yugi said with a loud, worried snort.

Timaeus frowned. "I was surprised to see her not even once this evening. How fares she?"

"She kept to her bed for most of it. She said she was only seasick, but I know it's more than that—even if she won't listen to reason." He gripped the fork tight between his fingers, his words laced with frustrated concern.

Timaeus sighed heavily into his hands and shook his head. "It does not surprise me." His words sounded exhausted. "Rhebekka is the finest surgeon, cook, and First Mate I'd seen in all my years. She could kill a bear with her strength and ride a storm with her temper, but she's the most stubborn creature that was ever spat out of the ocean. One of these days, her presentism is going to get her killed—or worse, relieved of duty."

"I agree," Yugi said, then paused a bit to ponder. "But what bothers me are her symptoms. Has she been seasick before?"

"Never that I have seen," Timaeus answered. "She's been in my service nay three years, has seen more storms and rough waters than some of my most seasoned sailors—and not once have they unnerved her. There was once a storm that had the fiercest and most indomitable number of ship-hands retching over the rails, but all she did was holler and stomp about the rain howling orders. She was so loud, I questioned what was worse—the storm or her lost temper."

"Aye." Yugi pondered, taking small bites from his food. "It is so odd, though." He thought about it again, deducing her behavior. "The first time, she said it was stress from our fighting, but that's not been an issue for days—and even if it was, it would not cause her daily sickness nor cause her to sleep nearly all evening."

"She _has_ been much more frazzled as of late, it seems," Timaeus added. "I thought her mood would've improved by now."

"Her appetite's not changed either," Yugi noted, remembering. If anything, she was eating more. "And this evening, she was complaining about pains in her chests. She said her bodice was uncomfortable but—"

It struck Yugi suddenly, and his eyes expanded at the memory. The memory of a peculiar glow to her cheeks before she wiped her face, and the way her dress fell so loosely around her hips when the bodice was removed, and the barely-visible bulge to her midsection…

"Timaeus…?" Yugi suddenly asked.

The elder looked up with a baffled blink.

Yugi flushed at the question, unsure of how to ask it. His fingers played with the fork, then eventually folded his hands on his lap. "Um, Rhebekka… She's married, correct?"

"Aye," Timaeus said, wiping his fingers—his plate a pile of fish bones and wet potato skins. "To my First, if you'll recall."

"Aye," Yugi nodded, face turning redder. "And you and she have been at sea for, nay, three months?"

"Oh, half that," Timaeus estimated. "The journey here was not as treacherous as the one home—took no more than a ten-day by my estimate. I'd say it shall be little over two months by the time we return."

It made sense, Yugi thought—his mother's words coming back to him. "And she and her husband, had they…" His cheeks burned. "Do you suppose they were… _intimate_ before your voyage?" The words were a muffled squeak, meek with embarrassment.

"Ah! I'd be more concerned if they hadn't," Timaeus said with a throaty chuckle. "Once they married, they were together so frequently that I had no choice but to set them up in a house in the village. If you think Rhebekka is loud when she's angry, you should hear her when she's pleasured. Not a soul on the island has slept decently since that girl was married."

The final piece fell into place, revealing the puzzle. All earlier embarrassment and concern melted instantly and Yugi's face bloomed into a brilliant, ecstatic smile once the reality of it has set in. "Oh, damn me!" He burst out laughing, so loud and blithely that Timaeus blinked. "I spent my youth surrounded by women, yet how did I not think of that!"

"Yugi, what is it?" Timaeus asked, concerned and confused.

"Damn me, that _does_ explain it," Yugi chuckled. "That explains it, indeed!"

"Yugi…" Timaeus stuttered weakly.

Yugi burst out laughing again, ignorant of the color draining from his lover's face. "I can't believe she didn't think of it herself! She's going to thrash herself something fierce when I tell her!"

"Yugi!" Timaeus shot up suddenly, his hands slamming the table. "What _are_ you talking about?!"

The delirious happiness melted into a surprised expression as Yugi spun to face his exasperated husband. His eyes were wide and wild like a scared beast, and his skin had grown pale with worry.

"If there is something wrong with Rhebekka, I'll have you tell me! She is not just a valued Quartermaster, but a dear friend as well!"

A moment of clarity struck him and Yugi buried his face in his hands. "Oh, drats. I'm sorry, love," he started to apologize—but then a wicked idea formed. "Timaeus…" He looked up, smiling. "I afraid we'll have to increase my training. Rhebekka won't be able to continue as your Quartermaster. She's going to be… indisposed for a while, I'm afraid."

"Indisposed?!" Timaeus blanched. "Why?! Is she really that ill? How long?!" Questions flew from the man's mouth before he could stop him, and Yugi was torn between laughing and comforting him.

"No, she's not ill, exactly. As for how long, that's a question I won't know for sure until I speak to her, but if I'm right, she still has a good six or seven months before she'll need to retire. After that, I'd say at least two years, maybe three?"

"Three years!?" Timaeus jumped with a horrified screech.

Yugi started then giggled. "Of course! She'll need at least a year to care for it, another to raise it, and it'll be nursing till 'tis three, of course—" He stopped himself, then considered something he hadn't. "Wait, do Locrian women nurse their babes or bottle them? I should've asked that first."

That final sentence froze Timaeus in place. His jaw dropped, then suddenly, he took a step back and plopped into his chair. It crushed under him with a creak.

A smile Yugi couldn't hold back plastered across his face. "Never mind. I'll ask Rhebekka. 'Tis hers, after all." He cleared the empty dishes himself and placed a sweet kiss on Timaeus' cheek.

"I'll be back in a minute. Don't come after us if you hear screaming. She'll only be scolding herself, I promise," he said with a wink, and left the room.

Timaeus' head was still spinning. His mind emptied at Yugi's departure and struggled to organize the sudden flow of memories. Slowly, he began to process the information then piece it together. _Six or seven months, a year to care it, another to nurse… nurse, bottle, babe… babe…_

With an exasperated sigh somewhere between a laugh and a gasp, he rested his forehead on his palm and rubbed his face. "Rhebekka's carrying a babe…" Once he had said the words out loud, freeing them into the universe, it suddenly became true. The simplicity of it suddenly crashed against the complete and utter reality of it and what it meant. He thought of someone else, who still needed to be told, and what his reaction would be.

Timaeus closed his eyes, exhaled, and shook his head. "Now, won't that be merry news when we reach home?"

* * *

XDXDXDXDXD Now you know what's been going on with Rhebekka. Many of you got i already but I still tried to make it as less obvious as possible ;) and of course Yugi's the one to figure out-bet this was the LAST thing on their minds.

The make out scenes I'm actually very proud of-especially cause its a second edition, i edited at the request of my beta and i LOVE how much better it came out! Course after doing such an awesome job on deck, Timaeus had to reward Yugi ;) but also it turned into much more of a trust exercise for them-and a real step forward for them both emotionally and intimately-but of course neither of them is giving up this little cat and mouse game of who will break first any time soon ;)

As I said, i have about four to five more chapters and then we will finally be in Locri! YAY! (phew!) I gotta say this arc took a LOT longer than i thought it would a LOT more development than I originally planned but it was totally worth it!

_**NEXT UPDATE: **_**_MARCH 15TH (MARCH 8TH if I can get these chapters finished , so wish me luck!)_**

**_NEXT TIME: _**_In light of this new development, Rhebekka makes a decision that turns everything and everyone on their heads!_


	43. Chapter XLIII: Declaration

I FINALLY GOT THIS UP THANK GOD! Special thanks to my beta for getting it back to me.

I actually got this back earlier today during my lunch break but before I could update it, the e-mail wouldn't open on my tablet, then my tablet died so I couldn't upload it until I got home then i couldn't get the internet working so yeah...it was one long mess after the other.

Sadly i'm not as ahead with my chapters as i would've liked due to two HORRIBLE work weeks that were non-stop stress, fortunately last week was very inspiring writing wise so i used it to complete my poetry so upon completing my latest project _Funeral for Flowers _ and the magnificent spring weather I plan on taking a break from poetry and working exclusively on Timaeus, and in the mean time gather the notes and outlines for my short stories and get reinspired to work on those during my vacation in Flordia :)

GOAL: Finish writing the Ocean Arc by March 21st (Locri Arc I hope to write either while on or after my vacation:)

So thank you all for waiting!

* * *

_Chapter XLIII: Declaration_

It had taken Rhebekka a full minute to process what Yugi had told her before she recovered enough to speak. "I'm… what?"

"You're carrying a babe," Yugi repeated. "It's the only thing that explains your symptoms."

She blinked once, then burst into laughter. "Well, damn me for not thinking of that a month ago!" she chuckled.

"I wasn't sure at first since there wasn't a lump," he explained. "Then I remembered Mother once told me how every woman carries a babe differently." He blushed at the fond memory of him as a curious, hapless child too young to understand what he was asking but old enough to be interested. His ever-patient mother had simply smiled. "Sometimes, you can't even tell they're carrying. For others, it's as clear as day, some show no signs of it, while the rest show the signs all at once."

"Ha!" Rhebekka said with a loud snort. "Well, aren't we just a pair, then? Two surgeons with a shipload of men under our care and we couldn't even tell one of them was with child. Won't that be a tale?"

Yugi shot her a look. "I resent that." He sounded insulted, but there was a hint of amusement in his tone that Rhebekka did not miss. "If I recall, it was you yourself who blamed your stress, then called it seasickness."

"Nay, brat," Rhebekka countered, imp-eyed and grinning. "I blamed you and Timaeus for causing my stress. And I'll have you know, I've been seasick during storms before. I'm just better at hiding it than most," she boasted proudly. " 'Twas a whole matter of things. I'm curious, though." She fixed him with a sly, cat-eyed smile and invaded his space with her leer. "What made you conclude there was a child in me and not something else?"

Yugi blushed. "Well… I knew you were married and you love your husband—" he tried to say, but she cut him off.

"Aye, but I've seen neither hide nor hair of my husband for nearly three months, and I am on a ship full of men, so do you wish to imply something?" She arched a brow teasingly.

Yugi blushed redder. "Of course not! I'd never… I mean, I was sure it must've been before but—"

"You had no confirmation," Rhebekka finished. "Oh, we fucked at least twice the night before I left," she said so bluntly that Yugi lost his voice. "And once more in the morning," she added with a grin and laughed at Yugi's shocked face. "If I was to be going half a season without the touch of a man, I damn well wanted to make sure I remembered it! But the question is how did _you_ know if we did or not?"

Yugi nearly stumbled when he tried to adjust his seat.

Rhebekka smirked. "Timaeus told you, didn't he?"

Yugi blanched. Rhebekka's smirk spread to a smile that curled at the corners. "Of course he'd know. I'm his Quartermaster; my husband is his First. He told you how he kicked us out of the main house for fucking too much, didn't he?"

Yugi's entire face suffused with color and his whole body went stiff. Rhebekka laughed so loud, she had to hold her sides. Yugi felt his face darken with each bell-like chime.

"Oh, don't look at me like that! There's no shame in enjoying your husband. You enjoy it when you kiss Timaeus, don't you?" Her smirk was an impish thing—a mischievous creature so adept at telling tales and exaggerating truths, it almost dared Yugi to try and trick it with a lie.

With a sharp glare that almost exhaled smoke from his nose and a blush he had no hope of concealing, he changed the subject. "With the rate conception takes and how you left Locri three months ago, you should be about seven or eight ten-days by now."

With a smirk that curled, she shook her head slowly. "Aye. Eight, more likely," she agreed, letting it slide. Plopping down on the couch, she patted her flat belly gently, almost disappointed there was no lump there. "So I'm carrying a babe. If you're right, she may be nine by the time we reach home. Ah, won't that be a shock for the man?" She had a wicked face on that looked halfway between a delighted smile and a vengeful snicker.

Yugi shook his head. "How do you know it's a girl?" Certainly boys were more favorable as a first-born, but there was no true certainty of gender until the child was born—unless Atlantis had discovered a solution to that, as well?

Rhebekka smiled. "I've been sick nearly a week, dining on nothing but apples, nauseous each morning, and all her bouncing's made my temper sharper. My mother was the same when she carried me. Believe me, the brat's a girl," she said, absolutely certain. Then a pondering look replaced her delight. "This is going to be a problem, though."

"What is?" Yugi asked, confused.

"Unless…" The girl continued pondering, then her eyes brightened. "Oh, yes, it's perfect!"

"What is?" Yugi asked again, bewildered.

Instead of an answer, Rhebekka seized him by the wrist and flew them out the infirmary door and across the deck, moving at such graceful speed that Yugi struggled to catch up with her.

She swung the Grand Castle doors open. They found Timaeus still seated where Yugi had left him. He spun to the sound of the doors crashing open, his face the mask of the Trierarch in Rhebekka's presence—though his eyes betrayed him when they fell on Yugi gasping, Rhebekka's hand still tight around his wrist.

"Trierarch?" Rhebekka began in her sweetest yet sternest voice. She let go of Yugi's hand and gave a low bow. "As I'm sure your consort has made you aware of my condition, I have a request for you."

Timaeus arched a brow, though his gazed shifted to Yugi. He offered Timaeus a smile and took a seat on the couch to settle his breath.

Rhebekka smiled brightly at the show of affection, then hardened her face. "Just so," she began. Timaeus spun to her, his chiseled features thoughtful but his eyes shadowed. Once more, he was the intimidating and sardonic Trierarch, and she the haughty Quartermaster.

He said nothing. He did not need to. Not to her. Yugi watched the scene unfold with fascination until Rhebekka smiled.

"In light of these recent events, I need you to relieve me of my duties immediately."

Their faces dropped.

"I beg your pardon?" Timaeus blinked twice, uncertain if he'd heard her correctly. Yugi was too stunned to speak.

"I still intend to be your Quartermaster, but I will simply have to take a less active role. As the previous events have shown, in my current condition, I can no longer perform my duties to the fullest extent of my abilities. I'll need assistance." An impish glint sparkled behind her eyes.

Timaeus recognized it at once and smirked. "We're in agreement."

Yugi spoke up, sensing he was missing something. "That's all good and done, but who can we find to take on the extra work under such short—" Their gazes turned to him, all plotting eyes and curled smirks, and he stopped. "… Why are you both smiling at me like that?"

X X X

The men were not pleased when Timaeus rang the summons. They were even less so when neither their Trierarch, his consort, nor their absentee Quartermaster were not already stationed at the stern and ready to give whatever command it was that was so grievous that they were forced to leave their hot meals and warm hammocks behind. Nonetheless, they did as they were bid with the same silent diligence and subservient respect that they always did. When the Trierarch still did not address them directly or show any signs of arriving, their tight lips loosened and rumors began to circulate. What was the announcement? Did it involve their wayward Quartermaster or his new consort? It must've been one of those for him to include both in the discussion but leave his other officers absent.

The sterncastle doors swung open, bringing with it a wave of silence. The company gathered, standing in a crowd off to the sides until only officers were left standing in the middle with none to their backs. Only Otogi was absent. They waited with fidgeting patience. No one spoke.

The Trierarch stood bedazzling in his armor and mantle and looking every inch the indomitable Trierarch they loved and respected. His sword hung at his waist, the curved blade a great shining thing like a fallen moon and just as fierce—but it remained sheathed, and the men relaxed when it stayed hidden.

Two figures stood on either side of him. Rhebekka was on his right, having exchanged her familiar surgeon smock for a long dress of dark green velvet that matched the emerald-cased spectacles she wore on her nose and the ribbons tying up her long hair. It did nothing to mar her elegance. If anything else, seeing her dressed in formalwear—a reflection of her status both on and outside _The Eye's_ sphere of influence—made her look more intimidating.

On his left was Yugi, the consort he'd chosen over their Princess—who, not moments ago, had stood against the entire crew with the fearless pride and certainty of a lioness in defense of one of her own. And to think that he had actually defended Otogi, the same man who had done nothing to hide his dislike of the boy from him or anyone else and who, not an hour ago, Yugi had treated his arm with strategies they thought only their Quartermaster adept in—and without so much as batting an eyelash or asking for anything in return. Wearing a silver-armored under-suit with a matching green mantle and boots, he looked like a younger version of the Trierarch. The only other splash of color was the gold and amethyst wedding bracelet woven around his wrist like a twist of blue water-lotus.

They walked the steps to the forecastle in unison—Timaeus first, followed by his Hands: Yugi on the left, Rhebekka on the right. The company followed their steps with quiet, curious eyes and bitten-back tongues. The three arrived on the dais and stood there, silent and powerful—Timaeus and Yugi at the front looking nearly identical in their silver armor, their neutral masks and their flaming black hair and circlet of gold and silver adorning their heads like regal crowns. Yet while Timaeus' sharp face was pulled into a curled, unreadable smile, Yugi's lips were pinched—his expression calculating and void. To the left, Rhebekka stood tall, beautiful, and invincible, radiating power though she wore no armor at all. Her sweet heart-shaped face belonged to a little girl, but the sharp, piercing emeralds were calculating and clever like that of a secret ruler—a controller without a name and the power behind the throne. Standing there fully-armored, decked in all their finery, and wearing identical neutral masks, they looked every inch the perfect, ruling trinity—a sight so rare that their next words would be nothing less than absolute law.

No one spoke. Their gazes focused obediently on the man at the head of the dais.

Then Timaeus boomed. "Gentlemen." His voice carried on the wind like a brass bell. His mismatched eyes were suddenly alive: the emerald, ferocious and shining bright as danger, the other the pearly void that commanded absolute authority. "Let you all be witness to this official announcement!"

They stood silently and waited for him to speak, then were surprised when he stepped back and the Quartermaster stepped forward.

"Gentlemen," Rhebekka announced, her voice boisterous and young compared to the brass echo of Timaeus' alto. "Let me first apologize for my frequent absences as of late." A long slender arm abandoned her side and gracefully adjusted its direction towards her heart, a gesture to herself. "As many of you have guessed, I have been slowly recovering from an illness that, until recently, I was unable to place." She spoke so openly that it did not sound like a weakness. She continued with a pixie-like laugh. "Oh, I chalked it up to many things: stress, too much work, anxiety over our dearly-beloved newlyweds…" Neither Timaeus nor Yugi flinched at the comment, but Yugi's hand slipped into Timaeus' and squeezed.

"I even thought it might be seasickness!" She laughed, loud and boisterous—like it was the punch-line of some rich jest. A few snickers came from below at the suggestion that something so simple could undo this bold, fearsome woman.

"Unfortunately, or perhaps quite fortunately, I was wrong on all accounts." She adjusted her stance, her eyes suddenly brightened, her lips curled, and there was something odd about the tightness of her dress. "I am with child."

The words lingered in the air, the echo of them swallowed by the silence that came from the sheer shock of it. Eyes expanded, mouths dropped or were covered, and others bowed their heads—red-faced or wide-eyed—as if they were suddenly reminded that the Quartermaster was a woman, a _married_ woman, married to the Trierarch's _First_.

"As such!" It was the Trierarch's voice that called, alerting all to his presence and snapping their attention back into focus.

Timaeus stepped forward next to Rhebekka and she made no move to step back. For a second, they looked like the ideal image of a Lord and his Lady, but then the truth settled and the idea looked distorted and unnatural in face of what they truly were: a Lord and his Right-Hand, a Commander and his Second-in-Command. Her power and ferocity were all her own, but she was an Officer with a rank and a purpose, and answered to the Trierarch no differently than any of the men beneath them.

"In regards to the Quartermaster's conditions, there has been much discussion, of which we have come to an agreement," Timaeus completed and shifted his bi-colored gaze to Rhebekka. The girl smiled. Neither step forward nor back.

"My condition has improved, but as many of you have seen, I am not as…" There was a deliberate pause. "Active in the field as I was once. Since I can no longer conduct my duties as effectively as is required of me, I have asked the Trierarch to formally relieve me of my active duties effective immediately."

There was a loud yet hushed gasp, followed by a string of loud protests, which were quickly silenced with the swipe of her arm.

"Fret not, men," she said with a comforting, ironically-maternal smile. "I am not retiring, nor do I plan to. I will still continue as your Quartermaster and the Trierarch's Second." Another pause. Another smile. "However, I can no longer actively serve as your Physician or your Cook." She let the information linger, then continued. "My condition comes with sickness. That is a fact. I can no longer see to the health and aid of you men if I myself am ill, regardless of its origin. Nor do I wish to neglect these duties because of it."

The men listened with stricken faces: some grieved, others concerned, some worried, and others wore simple defeat. More silence followed, yet the smiles did not leave either the Trierarch's or the Quartermaster's face.

"However…" Rhebekka continued with a sly smile. "I have no intention of abandoning you as such jobs are vital to the health and survival of this ship and her crew. Until my relief from duty has ended, I shall summon a replacement to see to my active tasks as a co-Quartermaster. My chosen will thus take over my roles as Physician and Cook until such a time when _The Eye _has returned to port in Locri, and will assist me and the Trierarch with any and all tasks you may need of us until that time. Just so…" Her smile was bright and impish. "My chosen has already been selected: someone who's already proven themselves adept to the needed tasks, someone who continues to educate themselves daily on the workings and running of this ship, and who has been trained by none other than the Trierarch and I."

Brows arched high with surprise and scrunched in confusion. Murmurs were exchanged and others waited with anxious excitement to see who among them was picked or who was so skilled enough to be adequate for the task, if only for a short time.

Rhebekka and the Trierarch exchanged a special look. The eyes of the men returned to the dais just in time to watch them both step aside and reveal the chosen standing in the middle and stepping forward with the rising call of Rhebekka's introduction. "Our Trierarch's Consort and our new Magistrate Ujalah—Yugi."

Suddenly spotlighted, Yugi had only a second to collect himself before he stepped forward, his face a neutral mask that copied his husband's. The armor Timaeus had lent him for his shoulders suddenly felt heavy and immovable, but still, he kept walking—never flinching, never stopping, never looking anywhere but ahead of him until he reached the rail of the dais, gripped the wooden sides, and gazed down at the men who stared back at him with mismatched eyes ablazed in unfamiliar colors and emotions. He remembered the first time he'd addressed them like this: an angry child surrounded by a gangly forest of soldiers bizarrely colored and shaped, who stared at him like a foreign creature their Trierarch had brought home to spoil, and they met the decision with a mixture of hate, betrayal, and bitterness. Now, staring down at the sea of faces all wearing an identically-uncertain expression, he felt no fear or rage or the desperate need to back his pride or earn their approval.

He stood before them, a child no longer but a Consort of their Trierarch, a co-commander of their ship, and soon to be their co-Quartermaster.

"Soldiers of Timaeus," he spoke formally. "Much has changed since I last stood before you." He tried to sound strong, but only managed to sound humble. He felt a quick, tightening squeeze around his waist, comforting him for half a heartbeat before it disappeared, and he smiled.

"Indeed, much has changed since that first day. This journey has been long and difficult, and I know I had not made it any easier. Nor can I fault your for your fears at the thought of me becoming your Magistrate. I cannot hold that against you. But I am no longer the child I once was, nor are you the same men who wronged me. I have come to know many of you and many more have come to know me, and it is my hope that trust can continue to build. And it is also my hope that you one day feel for me the same loyalty and respect you show my husband." He paused for a moment to catch his breath and inhaled quietly. The expressions on the men's faces did not change, but he did not waiver.

"Until that day comes, I will continue to serve you as faithfully as I have these past ten-days, and I assure you all now…" His eyes hardened and his words rang with a gravity that rivaled that of the Trierarch's when he spoke. "So as long as you are under my authority and under my care, you are mine to protect; and so, I will not see you starve, I will not see you permanently marred, and I will not see you made any less the men you are just because the sea is a harsh mistress and the journeys are long and hard." He pressed a hand to his heart. "On my oath as a child of Sekhmet and a former Prince of Kemet, and on my oath now as the Consort of your Trierarch, your Dragon Knight, and as the Magistrate of Locri…" He tightened his grip and remembered the oath Timaeus had made all those months ago when it was his own honor that needed defending. "_We_ are _The Eye of Timaeus_. _We_ are the Dragon Warriors of Atlantis. _We _are the pride of Locri. Remember your Honor, men, for without Honor, there is only villainy. And so, as long as you are under my care, _I will keep you strong!_" he finished with a powerful breath and fought with all his strength not to deflate.

He felt a hand press into his back and he relaxed into the touch as Timaeus stepped to his side, neither in front of him nor behind him. He raised his arm and addressed them both. "Do you all speak as witnesses to this declaration? If so, speak now! For all to hear and know that it is done!"

They waited.

And waited still.

Down below, the men all exchanged looks, but none moved to be the first witness. Neither Timaeus nor Rhebekka moved their faces, twin masks void of emotion and expression, but Yugi felt his cracking.

"WITNESSED!"

The word boomed through the silence like a cry in a deep cave, and all spun to the source of it. The three faces on the dais rose in unison and gasped at the lone figure standing outside the doors of the infirmary, his arm still wrapped in a thick sling. Otogi slowly stepped forward, and when the men saw him, they expected to see outrage on the fact that he was not summoned to this meeting. But when they looked, he only smiled, and his bright green eyes were fixed on the dais—specifically, on Yugi's own amethyst gaze.

"Witnessed!" he said again.

"Witnessed!" Ryou's raspy call came next.

There was a short pause, then a gruff clearing of his throat before Raphael added, "Witnessed."

"Witnessed!" Someone else called from the back.

"Witnessed!" came another from the left. A copy echoed from the right. "Witnessed!"

"Witnessed! Witnessed! Witnessed! Witnessed!" More and more cheers followed until the whole ship was booming with the unorganized cacophonic repetition of the word. Then it harmonized into a single, perfect chant:

"Witnessed! Witnessed! Witnessed!"

As the shouts continued, more cheers of approval rang loud and clear as bells until the whole ship was alive and chanting its acceptance. Yugi's heart left his throat and settled to fluttering like a flock of ibis in his chest. At his side, Timaeus beamed proudly, eyes bright in a fond, silent encomium. Rhebekka smirked at his left, her head bowed ever so slightly in acknowledgment of her superior, but her smile was the bright bliss reserved for a dear friend.

Standing there amongst the dais with Timaeus at this side, Rhebekka to his left, and the crowd cheering their approval at his rank, on a magnificent ship sailing North against the alpenglow, Yugi fought tears prickling his eyes—like he had just inherited a kingdom of dreams and the future was a bright, clear path of possibilities.

But amidst the howling screams of chants and cheers, a single whisper of silence that Yugi did not miss secretly slipped back into hiding.

Nor did he miss the anger burning in its owner's slit lavender eyes.

* * *

This chapter was so much fun to write! and I was so proud cause I got it done in a weekend (an afternoon at the library and finished it up in a pizza hut while eating a late lunch-i was THAT in the zone!)

I originally didn't plan on the end, and originally Otogi wasn't going to be in this chapter, but halfway through it I came up with the PERFECT cameo for him! XD How awesome was that? But it looks like Yugi's not out of the woods yet ;)

Anyone wanna guess who those lavender eyes belong too ;)

As always read, review, comment, critique, ask questions, post theories and go nuts!

**_NEXT UPDATE:_**** April 4th to17th** (I already have two chapters prewritten, one more to edit and then I hope to complete chapter 44. The goal is to get it posted by the 17th and then return to weekly updates.)

**_Next Time:_**_ Yugi settles into his new role as Quartermaster with mixed results; a slander goes too far and a fight breaks out and Timaeus has a few words for his new Quartermaster._

Enjoy!


	44. Chapter XLIV: Strength

REWRITE!

Yeah...three months of haitus, I FINALLY post chapter 44 of Timaeus and then BOOM! Epiphany and i come back with an even more kick-ass chapter! Phew!

In the future I hope to avoid rewrites AFTER I post the chapters, but thus is the unexpected world of a writer (shurgs)

Anyway, i'm ULTRA proud of this chapter and how it turned out! i ended up splitting ti so this is the first half and the second half WILL be finished this weekend and will be posted next week :) after that I have about six chapter prewritten and ready to go so I will be able to update weekly again! YAY!

Things have also finally calmed down with work so hopefully I'll be able to write at a mroe steady and consistent pace.

DEDICATIONS: FOR VAL! Belated birthday gift ;) and whose advice helped me rewrite these chapters even better using all the scenes and events I wanted but in a way that really climaxed the story! YOU ROCK GIRL!

And of course for Aramithe Ipswich for being such an awesome Beta! THANK SO MUCH GIRL!

as always read, review, comment, crituque, ask questions and go nuts!

* * *

_Chapter XLIV: Strength_

Timaeus pinched the bridge between his eyes with an exasperated sigh. "Yugi," he said with a bite of impatience. "We've had this discussion already and I'll not have it again. Now hurry and dress. We're already late." He gestured a gloved hand towards the neatly folded pile.

Yugi grimaced, his fingers brushing the flimsy, almost watery material of the silk. "I'll look like a helpless damsel in that," he protested, glaring at the clothes childishly. He was seated on the bed, naked. Bundled in his lap was Timaeus' first under-armor given to Yugi as a gift not two ten-days before. The shiny silver color was bleached gray from the sun, and not the day before had been stiff from salt-spray, stained in places, and reeked of sweat, salt, and the sweet perfume of Yugi's skin. The heat had fixed the dampness, and a night of soaking and vigorous scrubbing had tamed the worst of the stains.

Timaeus' green eye visibly twitched while its blank twin flashed an impatient glare. Closing his eyes and sighing again, the Trierarch inhaled sharply then ran a hand through his silver forelock with a loud exhale. "You'll look like a Magistrate." He protested, brushing his hand over the champagne silks Rhebekka had given Yugi his first night as Timaeus' consort.

He'd worn it sparingly since. The looseness of those flimsy silks, the way they moved independently over his skin like water, prickling against what was normally bare skin like the legs of insects: made him feel naked. Exposed. Oddly restricted. Timaeus had been overwhelmingly understanding about his hesitation, but never failed to remind him that such was the fashion of Locri—whose winds were fierce—and of a proper Magistrate.

"You won't impress anyone looking like a sea rat."

Yugi bit his lip with a frustrated growl. "Just…" he paused, eyes pleading. "Just one more day," Yugi compromised, rubbing his shoulder. "The men are still uncertain of me," he confessed. "I thought perhaps…" He paused, chewing on his lower lip.

"Dressing like a Trierarch would help." Timaeus smiled sympathetically. "Alright." He placed a comforting hand on Yugi's shoulder and sat next to him. "The silks will make you look more like a Magistrate, though."

"I suppose," Yugi snorted and got to the other side of the bed, stripping his small clothes and shift as he did. "But I want to look like a Quartermaster." He tied the lacings tight. "And I still don't want to wear it."

"I know." Timaeus crossed his arms, watching Yugi's nude form stand and slip the armor on, and licked his lips. Inch by inch, smooth honey-milk skin disappeared beneath the shield of faded silver, yet the tightness of it did nothing to conceal Yugi's lean limbs and soft curves. He watched him tie the lacings and then pull on his boots with a pair of cute, experimental kicks.

"Will you need me this morning?" Yugi asked.

Timaeus blinked as if coming out of a long daze. "Pardon?"

Yugi rolled his eyes then smirked, taking long strides towards him. "I said," he purred, curling himself flush against the other's body—his seductive amethyst eyes leering. "Will you need me this morning?"

The words ghosted over his lips and the elder trembled beneath Yugi's fingers. Then he snatched the scruff of Yugi's collar and pulled him up just enough to meet his eyes, like he was a naughty kitten.

"Clever little imp," Timaeus said with a passionate hiss and stole a quick kiss before setting Yugi down.

Yugi fixed him with a frazzled glare and wiped some imaginary dust from his uniform. "Well?"

"Not this morn," Timaeus answered. "I'll need new reports of our inventory to see how the repairs are faring, and check our coordinates, but they're nothing Malik and Ryou cannot tell me," he explained and started up the stairs to the stern. "You see to the food and the doctoring, and we'll converse tonight at dinner."

"Very well," Yugi agreed.

"Good," Timaeus smiled then jokingly sent him off with a brush to his lower back. "Now off you go, I fancy myself a spot of breakfast before a long day of working."

"You'll get nothing unless I serve it, you tease," Yugi snapped playfully over his shoulder. Then he spun and stole a quick kiss from the other's lips and was off before he could catch him. "I'll be in the galley!" He giggled when he heard the other utter an oath that ended in "imp" but made no move to chase him.

The deck was empty and the sky was still dark, but peaks of a new day sun bathed the clouds a mesh of dark pink, deep red, and bright violet. Quickly and quietly, he strolled down to the mess deck where the crew still slumbered and snored in their hammocks looking no more threatening than sleeping children. Yugi snorted, shook his head dismissively, and departed down the steps.

The ship's stores greeted him with a grin of well-organized scuttlebutts, racks of dried meats, baskets of onions, garlic, and potatoes, and a wall of jars stuff with dried Kemetic fruits and vegetables known to keep for long intervals. Giddily, Yugi slid down the ladder and counted, making tallies on papyrus as he went. His optimism drained once he finished.

"Half a dozen scuttlebutts of water," he triple-counted, "four baskets of potatoes, six of garlic, seven of onions, and less than twenty jars of dried goods." He ran a frustrated hand through his hair. The empty baskets and clear glass jars mocked him from the corner. "That'll never be enough to ration between a crew of thirty men for a ten-day." He nearly collapsed in defeat but didn't have time to think of that now.

The sun was coming and the men would be rising soon. He'd be damned if they started bickering about their morning meal being late. Grabbing an empty basket, he stuffed it full with potatoes, onions, a few cloves of garlic, and a rack of dried beef for stew and rushed to the galley

Blessedly, the men still slept.

Fire burning in the stove, hands washed, and utensils clean, he set to work chopping onions and dividing beef. The spread was a simple mix of thick potatoes and plump onions chopped and stirred with a mixture of garlic and beef. The galley's stores hadn't depleted, at least. Drink would have to be ale for the time being.

Counting plates, he set aside four for Timaeus and himself, Otogi, and Rhebekka. A humble meal, he admitted, but one rich enough in nutrients that no one was likely to get sick or Sekhmet forbid, catch scurvy.

Gathering the spare plates, he slipped up the back stairs to the infirmary, stopping first in the Surgeon's quarters where Rhebekka slept naked under a blanket of furs. She muttered and snored, rolling like a drunkard and muttering curses when her growing stomach got in the way of her movements. Yugi blushed and tried not to chuckle, and set her plate on the table next to a mug of water and a small plate of dates. Low rations or not, Rhebekka had a babe to feed.

A groan erupted from the adjacent room. He spun back to the front. Otogi twitched his recovering arm barely in the hammock, giving it a few experimental waves and circles.

"Stop that!" Yugi snapped and set the food down. "Do you want to tear the ligaments?"

Otogi snorted, grumbling. "It's not tender anymore. When can I use it again?" he demanded.

"Not fully for a whole ten-day," Yugi said firmly. "And when you _do _use it again, go slowly at first or you're likely to dislocate it again."

"Aye," Otogi relented, and moved into a sitting position to eat. The man had grown increasingly lax as the days had come, which Yugi did not blame him.

""Tis only been a day." Yugi pulled up a stool and offered a comforting smile. "You won't get better overnight, but if you rest and let your wounds heal, you'll be fine in a day or two," he promised with a soft chuckle. "But I'm afraid you won't be seeing active duty for at least a ten-day and by then, we'll be back in Atlantis."

"That is what worries me," Otogi admitted, taking a large bite of potato and beef. "It's the idleness that I detest," he scoffed, and rubbed his wounded arm just under the joint and crushed the sheets beneath his fingers. "I know the Trierarch does not think any less of me, but I can't stand just sitting here, doing nothing, contributing nothing, feeling—" He suddenly paused, realizing he was not alone. He looked away from Yugi's solemn expression, with one of self-disappointment. "Forgive me," he apologized. "'Tis not something you discuss in the presence of the Trierarch's consort."

"You feel helpless, do you not?" Yugi finished. Otogi turned to him, surprised, but Yugi only smiled sadly. "You feel helpless and trapped and unable to do anything but stay still like a bird with a broken wing."

Otogi's eyes widened in shock.

The lashes of Yugi's eyes swept across his cheek and he smiled softly. "I understand completely. I felt that way for some time before the Trierarch rescued me."

"Aye…" It was all Otogi could say. He winced when he put pressure on his arm and pressed a hand towards the joint. Yugi shot up and checked the wound. "'Tis alright." Otogi insisted. "It's just the joint. It still aches sometimes."

Yugi's eyes lit up. "I know just the remedy." He darted across the room to a large cabinet where Rhebekka kept her bandages and supplies, and pulled down a large basket filled with multicolored liquids. The bottles clanked with a chiming sound as he fished through them. Then with cry of victory, he pulled out a small jar filled with a russet liquid and uncorked it on his way back to his patient, and carefully dumped the liquid on his fingers. Otogi hissed when the fingers pressed against his skin, then moaned when the soothing ache started to dissipate.

Yugi recorked the bottle and set it down on the table. "Just a dab on the fingers and rub it over the ache if it bothers you again." Yugi smiled.

"Thank you." Otogi smiled back gratefully and sighed. "I promise to rest easy. I may detest being idle, but I trust your judgment. I can survive a day or two."

Yugi blinked then beamed brightly. "I'm pleased." A loud groan and a chorus of rumbles started from downstairs. Yugi sighed understandingly and hopped off his stool. "Finish breaking your fast," he ordered gently. "I'll see to rest of the swarm."

Otogi watched him depart with a friendly wave, which Yugi was grateful for.

The men piled in to the galley not long after, raising their mugs and grabbing bowls in gestures of thanks as they did. Ryou had even been kind enough to flash him a smile before departing. No doubt the Sailing Master would be breaking his fast in the Navigation room with the Trierarch, Yugi guessed. Raphael and others simply took their food and departed in a solemn silence that was, at best, tolerance. A handful of others, lilac-eyed Malik being the chief rebel-rouser, flashed him hard, disapproving glares before leaving with a shake of the head. Yugi only frowned, saying nothing.

He ate his own meal in silence, stealing only a few quick glances at the door. Only when he was certain Timaeus wasn't coming did he set the meal aside to deliver later, and finished his own meal from the kitchen. The galley was a cacophony of chatter and cheers, groans and grunts and rough rasps and scratchy coughs. Yugi looked up, one solider in the corner, red-haired and taller but younger than the rest, spoke only a few words to his companions before grunting. His cough was scratchy and he settled it with a swig of ale. Yugi recognized him as one of the riggers during the storm. He'd had that cough for a few days and though the cough had seceded, the soreness of his throat clearly hadn't.

Thinking quickly, Yugi bolted to the infirmary. Ignoring Otogi's bemused expression, he grabbed the basket of vials still sitting on the counter and started for the stairs. Rummaging through it on the way back down, he pulled it out with a victorious, "There you are!" Composing himself, he hurried to the red-haired soldier and offered a vial of clear liquid that smelt of vinegar and garlic.

The two men stopped talking and they stared at him with curious confusion.

"For your throat," Yugi clarified. "Take one gulp now, and one with dinner if it still bothers you," he instructed kindly.

The red-haired solider blinked at the vial then at Yugi. Confusion etched across his features, but he took it with a gracious smile and tucked it into his belt. Yugi frowned but, satisfied, turned back to the kitchen. Other men stared at him briefly before returning to their meals. Out of the corner of his eye, Yugi noticed another man rubbing his temples fiercely, growling through gritted teeth. Yugi shifted through his basket again and pulled out a small jar of clear paste and placed in front of him with instructions to apply it. "_Do not_ ingest it," Yugi warned firmly. The man shrugged but took the bottle anyway.

He passed several other men who subtly expressed some sort of ache and offered what remedies he could. Some simply smiled and accepted the offer graciously. Others did not seem to care. Some had the nerve to snap at him, but Yugi chose to ignore that. When they finished, the men piled quickly from the halls, leaving their plates and dishes behind. Out of pride, Yugi waited until they were gone before gathering them up quickly and letting them soak in the kitchen's tub.

He had better things to do than wash dishes.

He plopped onto a stool and rubbed his temple. Doubt crept over him like the shadow of a fierce storm. Clearly the previous night's display hadn't been the promising sign he'd misread it as.

"No," he corrected himself with hard, determined eyes. Something had changed. It had not been obvious or quick, but it was there. There was now a steady acceptance accompanied by a begrudging, if earnest, respect where before, there had only been icy hostility. It wasn't much, but it was a change and Yugi found it pleasant nonetheless.

The men's trust in him was growing—that fact above all the others filled Yugi with pride. He suspected his new role as Physician and Chef had something to do with that. Working with Timaeus as a Trierarch and Rhebekka as Cook and Surgeon had given him a role, a purpose where before he had simply been the Trierarch's consort. Repairing the ship, assisting with navigations, and those small moments with when he treated the wounded and prepared tonics had given the men proof of his usefulness and it felt wonderful to have a place one more. Not simply a title and position but an actual duty to keep himself busy. It was a liberating freedom, one that made him feel solid and useful once more.

They men trusted him, but did they respect him? Once the excitement died away and the job began, it was clear the men had not expected anything from him. True, he had proven himself, but he'd had done so with Timaeus or Rhebekka. Now he was on his own. It was Timaeus who was their Trierarch and Rhebekka who was their Quartermaster. Yugi was a stranger—a third party they respected simply because they were told to.

Rhebekka considered him friend as well as an ally. Ryou and Otogi, and others accepted him openly but even they, he feared, saw him as a comrade rather than a commander or a brother-in-arms. When they addressed him it was all smiles and pleasantries and when they spoke it was with a familiarity they never showed in Timaeus' presence.

Others met him with a cool acceptance, having yet to witness his strength and abilities on their own. Though he doubted his sudden "replacement" of their Quartermaster once news of her condition became public helped soothe those fears. Most, he gathered, trusted him only because the Trierarch did though. Raphael was one such soldier. The rest, like Malik, had no illusions, despised him nor were they subtle about it—spoiled and stubborn who trapped their Trierarch with his charms. But they _had_ changed, Yugi reminded himself. Their opinions of him had, and he'd done nothing more than whatever he could.

And he would do that now. He stood, reinvigorated. With determination in his step, he plucked some herbs that had been drying, and a few vegetables and liquids for a base, and placed them all in his basket reserved for tonics and ointments to brew later. He grabbed the list of rations he'd created and started for the main deck, but not before grabbing the untouched plate he'd made for Timaeus.

X X X

Yugi all but barged into the Navigation room and found Timaeus and Ryou embezzled in a heated discussion, and all but slammed the plate down with hard, demanding eyes. The glare Timaeus gave him would've sent any other man into a fit of apologies: Yugi simply matched it

"Little one, what business is this?" There was a hidden bite in the question.

"You made me Quartermaster," Yugi reminded. "My duty to ensure everyone on this ship stays well-fed. I'll be damned if I have my own husband starving himself."

Their brows narrowed and eyes locked and slit into glares of determination. Ryou stood silent in the background. Then Yugi pulled the papyrus from his belt and handed it to Timaeus.

"What is this?" he asked, curious though his glare had not faltered.

"I tallied our rations," Yugi explained, curtly. "I haven't had a chance to go through all of them."

"Unless another storm takes us off-course," Timaeus countered, scrutinizing the information then raising an impressed eyebrow. "You're certain of these estimates?"

Yugi nodded. "I haven't surveyed everything, but that's what I've rationed so far."

Yugi thought he saw the shadow of a smile grace Timaeus' face, but too quickly it was gone and he turned his gaze towards Ryou. The Sailing Master jumped to attention. "We shall reconvene in one hour."

"Understood." Ryou dismissed himself with a bow and left the two men alone.

Timaeus looked at Yugi. His eyes had not changed, but now he was grinning. "Little gem," he purred, dangerously low and seductive. Yugi fought down the urge to flinch. "Never, for as long as we are married, undermine me in public again."

Yugi blinked. "Public? It was only Ryou. And he's terrified of you, if you have not yet noticed."

Timaeus snorted, rose, and slid to sit on the table. "He respects me, as do they all, but I will not repeat myself. I am the Trierarch, little gem. My authority must be absolute. Scold me, hit me, do whatever you wish in private, but when we are here, we must be a united front."

Yugi frowned. "And a united front means I'm supposed to agree with you and not call you out on your foolishness?"

Timaeus laughed. "Quite the opposite," he corrected. "In fact, I know many women—the Queen of Atlantis, in fact—who were rather fierce with their husbands. Powerful women respected, even feared, but she never once questioned the King in public. Private, however, was a different matter. Are your own brother and sister not the same?"

Yugi paused for a moment, pondering. When he did not answer, Timaeus continued. "It does not do well for the people or the army to have their leaders, their commanders, arguing, regardless of how nonsensical the situation is. Do you understand?"

Yugi sighed. "I understand." And he meant it. But then his eyes opened, and with a determined stare, he pushed the plate forward. "But if it means making sure you take care of yourself, I reserve the right to say so."

Timaeus snorted. "You're always were a fearsome thing," he commented. Yugi grinned when he picked up his spoon and started eating.

"I am pleased." Yugi bowed respectfully and turned to go. He stopped when Timaeus grimaced.

"Yugi…" Timaeus called with a disgusted cough.

"Yes?" Yugi asked, still grinning.

"This is cold," Timaeus complained.

"Then next time, you'd best eat it when it's hot." He smiled sweetly. "And it better be finished when I come back for your plate in an hour," he warned, honeyed and playfully sweet.

"Imp," Timaeus snorted. Quick as a viper, he grabbed Yugi's hand and spun him to face him and grabbed his chin. Yugi gasped in shock, but his body was singing. Timaeus grinned at him, leering. "I mean it, Yugi. Undermine me again, and I will be forced to _punish_ you." He let the word linger and sealed it with a fierce kiss to Yugi's lips.

Yugi panted when he pulled away and wiped his mouth, glaring. "I _understand_," Yugi growled with a smirk of his own. "You do realize that was your _second _kiss?" he teased threateningly. "You won't get any more for the rest of the day."

"I will survive," Timaeus teased back, returning to his meal. Yugi rolled his eyes and left. Over his shoulder, he heard a satisfied murmur of "Hmm… garlic…" and smirked.

X X X

Ryou stood outside the navigation room with curious eyes fixated on the basket Yugi had left there. He jumped when he heard the door open, and sighed when Yugi stepped out.

"I have never met another person brave enough to talk to him like that," he confessed, awed and a little frightened. "Not even the Quartermaster."

"Aye," Yugi admitted with a slight shiver. His wrist still tingled where Timaeus had touched him and his lips still burned from the fierceness of his kiss. "We seem to have that effect on the other."

"Indeed," Ryou nodded, breathless. "Is he… eating?" he asked, attempting to sound casual.

"He is." Yugi nodded. "How long till we reach Locri?"

"'Tis what we were… discussing," Ryou confessed. "We agree it should be no more than a ten-day, but our supplies are low and much is spoiling. We're not sure if we should continue straight and restock in the South, or travel to a port closer but out of the way."

Yugi grimaced. "Are those truly our only options?"

"Depends on our storage." Ryou closed his eyes. "If we can ration enough food for a few extra days, then we can continue on straight." When he opened them again, they were dull with worry.

Yugi opened his mouth to speak. "I…" he started, paused, then smiled. "I'm sure all will be well," he said reassuringly, and departed down the steps.

X X X

He spent the rest of the day on deck. Watching the men work the riggers and ready the sails—the oars not needed on such a blustery day. He made quick work of seeing to the affairs of the ship—and was dismayed when he found there were none. At least none the men were telling. One younger and more bashful than the rest had kindly asked him if the Quartermaster was about and looked horribly embarrassed when Yugi told him she slept still. Smiling, Yugi offered his own assistance but the lad simply bowed his head and shook it off as unimportant. That had been most of the morning, though the others who asked for his co-Quartermaster were not nearly so polite.

The evening had not gone much better. By then, Rhebekka was awake and about, and the men flocked for her attention, but she dismissed them all with a wave of her hand and a snap of her tongue before disappearing into the Navigation room.

Yugi pressed his fingers to his temples and closed his eyes, exasperated. He'd never felt so useless. Even his old habit of brewing tonics had done little to ease his frustrations. His gaze fell to the men below. It was too hot for formal armor, so with flushed faces and the sweat of labor clinging to their skin, they worked bare-backed in the hot sun. The red tinged of sun baked their naked skin, hissing when their labor pulled at the rash. Yugi recognized that dark flush and fished through his bag for a large clay jar. Securing it tightly, he rushed down the steps and into the throng.

He tried to find his voice, but it was lost on the winds. Finally, he spun to the throng, held the jar high, and shouted, "For the burns!" The crowd stopped, and several red-faced men turned to him. This time, he did not falter.

"Your skins are burnt," he said to one in particular and opened the clay lid of the jar. "I have an ointment that will help." He was about to explain its contents when he heard a cold snap.

"Mind your business elsewhere." Yugi spun and saw Raphael at the rafters. His own fair skin was deeply flushed as well, but he showed no discomfort. Yugi's eyes hardened. Though his words were not unkind, the tone was meant for that of a curious child wandering too close to danger, not of a Quartermaster. Yugi would change that now.

"Your concern is well meant, Watchman," Yugi said evenly. "But not needed. If you do not wish my help then I will respect your request and not offer it." His lashes brushed the surface of his cheeks and he spoke again. "But you do not speak for all, and if there are any men who would like to take advantage of my arts, it is their choice. You may be strong from a life at sea, but you know little of the fierce intensity of the sun as I do," Yugi reminded them all, and placed the jar on a nearby crate.

One of the younger men sporting a particularly red looking arm eyed the jar curiously. Like a duck wading the water but not wanting to appear hesitant. Yugi understood and scooped a small amount of clear gelatin onto his fingers and held it out to the man for his arm. He offered his arm hesitantly and Yugi rubbed it over the burn.

"'Tis only aloe," he smiled. "Apply to the skin and do not ingest it and all will be well."

He turned to the other men all who eyes him curiously.

Yugi's smile did not waiver. "You are all welcome to use it if you wish. Apply a little with your fingers and let it sit. It will help with the pain."

A sharp bit of laugher barked through the crowd. "Is this how you seduce your men?"

The cold, razor sharpness of the words cut through the air like dagger piercing Yugi's back through to his very soul. A collective string of mumbled gasps and whispers followed in the space of a breath and Yugi stopped.

Recognizing the voice in an instant, Yugi turned and fixated his hard, even eyes and the thin line of his mouth towards Malik standing in the shrouds with an obvious swagger. A smile slit his face. The shipwright's own ocher skin, contrasting sharply with the shock wheat-color of his hair, and corded muscles from a lifetime of carpentry at sea gave him intimidating aura to counter his meager height but his gleaming eyes were cruel **like two sharp blades**.

Yugi lost all breath in his body, "What?" he demanded, voice sharp and even.

Disliking the response, Malik jumped down and stomped towards him. All the swagger on his face gone and replaced with a rage of absolute disgust. "Don't pretend you care for any of us!" he snapped in a long drawn-out hiss. "I truly believed the Trierarch wed you for peace. I'd say it was for a pair of slim hips and pretty breasts." His face shook in disappointment. "The King liked you. Ryou liked you. Even Otogi vouched for you…" His smile returned: a malicious, knowing grin. "Now I see the truth. Do you treat _him _with your pretty little tonics?" His words were laced with derision and disappointment. "To think. The Great Trierarch of _The Eye_, The Magistrate of Locri, the Leader of the King's Dragon Knights, fell for a whore from Kemet with pretty eyes."

Yugi's bones liquefied into fire and hand and back shook as pure rage filled him. His blood, and his fingers curled into fists piercing his own skin. The rest of the crew was silent, waiting, watching. Searching for any kind of weakness.

Malik snorted at Yugi's silent fury. He closed his eyes with an arrogant shake of the head "Don't even try and deny it, we all hear the sounds you make at night. The worst part is you don't even want h—"

The blow came so swift and sudden that Malik was sent sprawling to the floor. He blinked once and nursed his wounded cheek where he'd been struck, and spun a mixture of fury and shock on his face. Above him, Yugi stood, his clenched fist at his side. All around them the crew stood stunned and silent.

"Recant your words." Yugi demanded, his voice low and dangerously calm.

Malik's fury gave way to confusion and he blinked. "What?"

"I said recant your words!" Yugi snapped taking a step forward. The pride in his arch made him look taller and the sun blazing behind him gave him a royal elegance that commanded authority.

"I care not what you think of me, but your words insult your Trierarch, my _husband_." Yugi emphasized the words, harshly. "You question his judgement and his decisions by questioning his choice to marry me. Regardless of how it transpired, he is mine and I'm his. I am his Consort, his Magistrate. You question my loyalty and faithfulness to that rank. You insinuated I had no right to be there. You insult him as your Trierarch, and I as his chosen Quartermaster. I care not for your opinions of me, but I will _not _let your insults against him go unpunished!"

He spoke with such volume and authority that for a long moment no one spoke. Not even the wind dared to stir and interrupt his rage. Even Malik, with all his bravado, remained firmly rooted in his place on the ground, staring at the younger with a kind of submissive fear he only afforded the Trierarch.

"Stop!" The harsh commanding bass accompanied the heavy click of metal boats creaking across the blanks. Yugi growled in muffled rage and spun to whoever dared to interrupt his judgement, hands flexed. Timaeus caught his wrist before he could flinch. His eyes hard and the line of his lips harsh an unyielding. The redness behind Yugi's vision vanished in an instant as the cold exterior of the Trierarch replaced the warm eyes and playful smile of the man he was coming to fancy.

"That's enough," Timaeus commanded, cold and clear. The dismissal hurt more than the actual words and Yugi suddenly found he couldn't speak.

"I-I" he felt he should apologize somehow, but he didn't want to. Malik had questioned his right to be at Timaeus' side, and worse he had insulted Timaeus himself, though Yugi guessed Timaeus did not know the full extent of those insults. How could he bring himself to apologize for what he felt was justified?

Timaeus fixated him with cold, emotionless eyes and Yugi's face dropped to his feet, dejected. No, he resolved himself, through a clench fist and closed eyes. He would not lose Timaeus over this. Not when their partnership has only just begun to heal.

Timaeus released his wrist but Yugi made no move to follow.

"So many warnings," Timaeus stomped forward, his voice shadowed and free of humor. "Did I or did I not, make myself perfectly clear about the subject of brawling onboard my ship?"

His eyes fixated on Malik still on the floor. He dropped his face to the floor but not before Yugi caught the glimpse of a terrified boy over his shoulder. "Was I not clear, perfectly clear, of what would happen?" Timaeus demanded with barely concealed rage.

"Was I?" He shouted, and it came down with the force of an executioner's blow.

A wave of guilt overcame Yugi suddenly. The deadly promise Timaeus had made all those months ago, still fresh in their minds. The punishment for a second offence if caught brawling: Confinement to the brigs. Yugi remembered them well, the ones Menk and Maat stayed in the three-day journey it took up the Nile to Djanet. Angry as he was at them then he still did not like seeing them there. Angry as he was at Malik now, he couldn't stand the thought of him spending the rest of the voyage there. Not with Locri still ten days away. He'd learned his lesson, Yugi decided looking at him now. Insults or not, they didn't warrant confinement.

"Wait," Yugi interrupted, firmly. Timaeus spun to him with a raised eyebrow. Yugi didn't dare meet his eyes. "I struck first." He confessed.

Malik's head shot up. The deck was silent.

Timaeus' brow arched higher. "Did you now?" he asked suspiciously. "That is not like you, Ujalah," Timaeus said, absent and affection or terms of endearment. "I find it highly unlikely you would act out for no reason?"

There was a visible flinch in Malik's face, but Yugi kept still.

Lifting his face, eyes closed and voice level, he said. "Whatever reasons I may have had do not matter. It was I who struck first, and even if I did not it was a first offence. On both our parts."

Timaeus' face did not change. "Are you certain of that? A first offence on both parts?"

Yugi nodded, only then did he rise to face his husband. "Yes. He was not one of the few who attacked me. Nor did he strike me this time. There is no need for further penance."

"A warning then," Timaeus nodded after a moment "Very well."

Yugi nodded and departed for the galley. Before he did, he gathered the aloe and placed the clay pot on a nearby plank. "For the burns," he explained again. "Spread a little on the red skin. Let it absorb. _Do not _ingest it."

With the final warning, he turned away and descended down the steps.

X X X

Timaeus watched Yugi go, and with a titanic effort, resisted the urge to kiss him as he left. Watching Yugi fight not only with a display of strength but also spirit, defending his right to be at Timaeus' side. Nothing had made Timaeus more proud. He doubted even the most skeptical of his men would question Yugi's loyalties after this. Still, there was a time and place for rewards and the deck was not one of them.

He needed time to get Yugi alone, to reward him properly, and ensure his confidence only grew from this whole ordeal. It ached him to keep his cold exterior, but he even now as he watched his young lover depart, he could sense the men's eyes on him, looking for weaknesses. _That_ would be addressed now.

"Trierarch?" Malik rose, his movements clumsy, as the crowd gathered around him.

Timaeus spun delivered a swift, heavy blow straight to the boy's gut, knocking him over and stealing the breath from his body. "Do you take me for a fool," he hissed just low enough for Malik to hear. "Or are you truly this stupid?" Malik's answer was a string of chocking gasps. Timaeus rolled his eyes in disgust. "You're fortunate of my Consort and Quartermaster's kindness," he snapped. "I would not have been so merciful."

Her stormed away, and spun to face his crew. "Gentlemen," he said, eyes shadowed and voice dangerously low. "When I told you all to behave yourselves…" He raised his chin revealing a dangerously pleasant smirk and eye bright with disapproving fury. "What. Made you think I was joking?"

* * *

WOOHOO! I'm so proud of Yugi this chapter...it really shows just how much he's grown and matured. He's come along way since day one, but don't worry its not over yet ;)

_**Next Update:** _July 15th (the goal)

**_NEXT TIME:_**_ Yugi and Rhebekka encounter a problem, Yugi has a brilliant idea, Malik shows some humility and Timaeus makes good on his promise._

As always read, review, critique, comment, ask questions and go nuts!


	45. Chapter ILV: Purpose

REWRITE! PART 2

HOT DAMN! THAT TOOK LONGER THAN I THOUGHT! PHEW! Hardest part with this chap was actually all next chapter-I had this one scene to edit and fix and it was hell trying to find the right words! which really stunk cause i had like 90% of this chapter done but for that part. Holy smoke!

Hardest part was just finding time to sit down and do it! But its DONE! (Angel choir) I'm so proud and happy with these rewrites!

And as a special treat because everyone has been so patient with me over the last six months and this new chap took two months to post...I POSTED TWO CHAPTERS! WOOHOO!

DEDICATIONS: FOR VAL! Whose advice helped me rewrite these chapters even better using all the scenes and events I wanted but in a way that really climaxed the story! YOU ROCK GIRL!

Now picking up right where we left off...as always read, review, comment, crituque, ask questions and go nuts!

* * *

_Chapter ILV: Purpose_

Yugi descended the steps down to the gallery. The silence was a welcome relief from the vociferous ruckus above deck.

"Bells of Hades!" He jumped at the stentorian shrill, and nearly stumbled down the last step.

There was a gasp of surprise and Rhebekka shot up, dropping the black-rimmed cabbage shed been holding. The head dropped to the floor with a loud thud and joined several others, discarded for their blackening leaves.

"Thank the stars," Rhebekka uttered a breath of relief and pressed a hand to her chest, the galley deserted but for the two of them. "I swear, the next daft idiot that came to me for something trivial..." her fingers clenched like a cat unsheathing its claws. "There's two of us now, it shouldn't be this much of a hassle."

Yugi smiled despite himself, pleased that pregnancy had not weakened her temper.

"What's all this now?" He asked with a gesture to the cabbage-leaf littered floor.

A smile slit her juvenescent face and she pointed a proud hand to her chest. "I am determined to be active!" Rhebekka boasted proudly. "An idle mother makes the babe fat and lazy, you know? It's the mother who determines how the babe comes into the world. Men know nothing of it. Once he's planted the seed his duty's done in that part."

Yugi couldn't help but giggle.

"If that's the case, then what is his duty?" Yugi asked.

Rhebekka smirked, teasingly "To please the mother, of course!"

They both laughed, heartily. It amazed him how good it felt. Like a stone ball resting on his chest that had suddenly been removed and it was alright to breathe and sing again.

"Now what's brought you down here? Is it supper already!?" She'd meant nothing by the question and he knew it, but it dragged him out of the stupor nonetheless and the reality that followed was a devastating crash.

She frowned when she saw Yugi's guilty expression. "What's this now?" She asked suddenly serious. In her eyes was a maternal sternness, he'd seen many times before and had no hope of fighting.

He told her everything. He hadn't meant to, but once he began, Yugi found he couldn't stop. All his fears, his doubts, all his earlier insecurities, and worst of all, the all-consuming dread that he'd disappointed Timaeus, came flooding back until he could stand it no longer. When he was done, he all but collapsed from the release of anxiety. Rhebekka helped him to a stool, saying nothing but listened to everything.

"Not the ideal first day, I imagine?" she said, pouring two mugs of ale.

Yugi's first sip was a large gulp, hoping to settle his nerves.

It didn't.

"What am I going to do, Rhebekka? How can I be Timaeus' Magistrate if I can't even control these men?"

"You can start by ceasing this useless blubbering," she said bluntly. She ignored his bewildered gasp, and took a long swig from her own mug and wiped her mouth clean with her wrist. "What, you're surprised? You think I could command these men when I first started this ship? Me? A mere slip of a girl who most saw as a younger sister and at worst, a daughter? It was months before I convinced them I was stronger than most and I only had the Trierarch's support. You have a lot more than I ever did."

Yugi's lashes swept across his cheeks then rose, revealing perplexed eyes. "Like what?"

"More patience, for starters." Yugi almost choked at the response. "I mean it, Yugi. Do not go doubting yourself now! Show weakness and they will never think more of you, but show them that you are above them and they will respect you." A smile slit her face.

"And show them strength and you will have their loyalty forever." She paused, deliberate and purposeful. "And you are strong, Yugi."

Her words lingered reassuringly through the silence like victorious soldiers after an impossible battle. "Thank you, Rhebekka." Yugi smiled.

She grinned. "Think nothing of it." She grabbed his wrists and spun him like an excited little girl with a new playmate. "Now come, supper's not going to cook itself!"

She moved like a sprite, darting from cabinet to cabinet and spinning to the center stove. Her feet barely touched the ground as she danced around the galley's circular structure, her face growing less bright and etched in harder and harder frowns as she did so. She checked the last cabinet, then turned to Yugi. "Where are our rations?" she demanded, cool and business-like.

"We have enough food for a ten-day," Yugi answered. "And water, if we ration it well. I've checked the food stores, and we should be fine, but should another storm happen..." He didn't want to finish the sentence.

"Then we are lost," Rhebekka finished for him and uttered an oath under her breath. "Bells of Hades!" she snapped, and spun to the large basket she'd be nice sorting through and kicked it. The weak weaves toppled under her strength. "Keeps for weeks', my ass!"

Yugi cocked his head curiously.

"Didn't even last a month!"

Yugi's eyes widened when she kicked the basket again spilling heads of black-leafed cabbages rolling to the ground.

"Rhebekka, stop!" Yugi scooped a rolling head under his arm and grabbed her wrist, halting her temper. "Did you check the centers?"

Feet frozen in mid-kick and her back arched with a tantrum, Rhebekka blinked. "Center? Why would I? They're all rotten. Can't you see?" She pointed to the black leaves.

Hope caused Yugi's eyes to brighten. He released her and started peeling. "No, Rhebekka, look!" He peeled away layer after layer of black leaves, but when he was finished, only a handful of leaves had decayed and the inner layers and heart were a rich, healthy green.

Rhebekka gaped wide eyed like a caught fish.

"It's a delicate vegetable in Kemet but it lasts long if prepared correctly," he explained. "My ancestor called it shaw't." Another thought occurred to him and he began to feel excited. "Rhebekka, when the rations were done, were the cabbages included in the count?"

Rhebekka shook her head, saying nothing, eyes still fixated on the plump cabbage still ripe in his hands.

Yugi's face beamed. "I have an idea." He turned and fished the huge clay pot from the stores and set it over the cooking fire, filled it with a bucket of water, then ran for the steps. He stopped to order, "Peel all the cabbages and fit as many as you can until the pot's filled! Make sure you count the heads!"

Rhebekka blinked then smiled, recognizing the twinkle of an idea in his gemstone eyes. "What are you thinking, my friend?"

"I'm thinking," Yugi smirked, "we're going to make boiled cabbage and garlic for dinner." He poked his head through the canvas and pointed to the first two men who crossed his path. "You there!" he called. They stopped and blinked at him. "Go to the stores, gather all the cabbages you can find, and bring them to the galley. All of them," he emphasized. "Whether they look rotten or not. I want them all in the galley now!"

They stared at him.

"Did I stutter, men? Go!"

With that, they were off and Yugi returned. Rhebekka presented him with three proud cabbages and only a small pile of black leaves. She tossed Yugi another cabbage and they sorted through the rest. When they were done, only a handful of leaves were spoiled and a dozen or so cabbages remained. The men Yugi summoned struggled with two more large baskets, and the two Quartermasters set upon them with purpose. When all the heads were clean, Rhebekka chucked the dead leaves overboard and Yugi set to work chopping cabbages, dicing garlic cloves, and filling the pot with boiling leaves.

"How many is that?" Rhebekka asked, depositing armfuls of heads into the stores.

"Five," Yugi answered with a smirk. "Maybe six if we use the smaller ones. How many are left?" he asked, still smirking.

Rhebekka beamed. "Not including the ones you used, thirty—maybe more."

"So then," Yugi calculated playfully. "If we have thirty cabbages, and five, maybe six, are needed to serve a crew of thirty men a rich meal twice—maybe once a day if need be—then…"

"We have enough food for nearly three days alone!" She all but burst with excitement. The flush of motherhood reddening her cheeks made her happiness sparkle even more. "I'll tell the Trierarch!" She burst up the stairs and Yugi set to work filling bowls and setting aside plates. The sun was already fading when he finished, and the thunder of heavy boots echoed overhead.

The men piled into the mess, reluctance plastered on their faces when they grabbed their plates and eyed the green mash. Yugi frowned, watching them poke, prattle, examine, judge, but not eat. Brows arched in his direction, demanding an explanation. One outspoken soldier even had to nerve to ask what it was.

Damn, he hissed through his teeth. The plan was useless if the men were stupid enough to refuse it. Yugi raised his head and smiled. "It is cabbage," he answered with a delightful smile. "Cabbage spiced with garlic, a delicacy from my native home. I thought I'd prepare it for you fine gentlemen as a gesture of goodwill, but if you do not want it…" He swooped from behind the counter, grabbing plates as he went and ignoring the growls and glares and demands. "I'm sure the Trierarch, Quartermaster, and I will enjoy it. Fool I am for thinking commoners could appreciate such a delicate vegetable." He smirked and saw their disgruntled and ungrateful stares harden to envy and avarice, wanting, coveting, and demanding what was too good for them.

"Yugi!" He spun and nearly dropped the plates. Timaeus charged down the steps in hurried haste, the Trierarch once more. His words were heavy and his swagger commanding, but his eyes were bright and only Yugi noticed the smile in his step. Timaeus grabbed the table with a crashing hand and just like that, an idea formed in Yugi's hand, and he grabbed a plate and a spoon.

"Rhebekka tells me you've solved our ration prob—" he started in a low whisper and was promptly cut off when Yugi stuffed a spoonful of boiled cabbage into his mouth. His eyes bulged in shock and his nose scrunched at the taste, but Yugi squeezed his hand painfully tight and flashed a warning smile. "We must be a united front," he hissed just low enough for the Trierarch to hear. "Trust me."

Timaeus swallowed nervously, recognizing a familiar taste. "Is that garlic?" he asked.

"Yes!" Yugi beamed brightly and clapped with glee. Timaeus recognized the mask. "I made it just for you," he boasted proudly. "Remember? I told you what a delicacy it was, and you asked me to make some?" There was a mischievous twinkle in his eyes and Timaeus understood.

"I did," he agreed with a nod and a grin.

Then Yugi pouted. "Well, I thought to share it with the rest of our crew as a gesture of goodwill, but they decided they don't want it," he scoffed and started pouring it back in the pot, smirking as the men grimaced.

Timaeus understood at once and scanned the entire room, fixating each man with a hard, disapproving glare. Then he turned to his lover and smiled. "Now, love, I'm sure they did not mean to be so disrespectful," he cooed. "Perhaps you should forgive them."

Yugi pretended to ponder the thought then said simply, "I suppose…" and began serving once again.

The men ate without question, leaving the Trierarch and his two Quartermasters alone at the table: their eyes fixated on food and their thoughts devoted to eating.

Yugi sighed in relief and let go of Timaeus' hand. He bowed his head, frowning. "I'm sor—"

Timaeus silenced the apology with a kiss. Yugi's eyes does open in shock and he froze unsure how to respond. Then Timaeus was smiling at him: eyes beaming with prepossessing pride. "That," he paused like he was out of breathe. "was brilliant, love."

Yugi blinked, surprised. He wasn't upset with him? Even though he essentially just used him? Evidently he approved.

Yugi blinked once then smiled. "Men always want what they can't have." His eyes twinkled with merry mischief.

Timaeus' eyes flashed with wild fire, his smile curling. "Indeed they do." Without caring who was looking or who might see, Timaeus kisses him again. This time, Yugi kissed him back and when he pulled away he was giggling. Timaeus smiled. He would've kissed Yugi a third time had an impish giggle bit interrupted them.

Across from them, Rhebekka smirked, hands folded in her chin. She snorted suddenly then laughed so boisterously, she slapped her leg in reaction. "Aye to that! Curious, Yugi, how did you know about the cabbage?"

"My mother always made it, but she called it shw't back home." Yugi shrugged, simply. "It's a delicate vegetable so we had to eat it first."

"Aye, but how did you know it's healthy, is what I asked ye?"

Yugi smirked. "I know because until I was a man grown, she threatened that if I did not eat all of it, she would send me to bed without dessert."

Timaeus chuckled. "Your mother knew you well, I see."

Yugi rolled his eyes, but he hadn't stopped smiling.

X X X

Halfway through the meal, Yugi excused himself to see to Otogi. He slept peacefully, an empty mug of cannabis tea on the table. Smiling, Yugi set the plate on the side table and redressed his wounds with fresh linens and honey. The wounds were still closing but the joints were healing quickly. He smiled and made a note to return him to duty within half a tenday.

A soft knock at the door interrupted him. He blinked curiously. "Enter." He permitted, but not without confusion. He recognized the figure in the doorway at once: the red-haired soldier from that morning. He wore a sheepish expression and when he spoke, it was with none of the scratchiness it had that morning. "My Lord, uh, Quartermaster," he stumbled then corrected himself. "I wanted to thank you for that tonic this morning. It… helped."

Mute in disbelief, Yugi blinked. He hadn't meant anything by the gesture, and yet the simple offer of relief had been important enough to earn a private apology from one of the Dragon Knight's finest soldiers. The sheer humbleness of it cause all Yugi's breathe to vanish. "You are most welcome," he managed to breathe out courteously.

The soldier flashed a gracious smile and dismissed himself with a bow. Yugi nearly collapsed in the stool, suddenly grateful Otogi was asleep and could not see the flush on his face. When it settled, he found himself smiling, then laughing, spinning, beaming with the pride of a child who accomplished its first independent task. He almost didn't hear the next knock. Or the one after that. One by one, each of the men he'd assisted requested entrance, presented the empty bottles, and promptly thanked him for his kindness—some even asked if he had any more tonics. Yugi offered them without question, but not without strict application warnings. Only a few men kept the bottles, but none left without swearing an oath not to abuse it, and he chuckled as he watched them go.

He was about to head back downstairs when someone else entered unannounced. Yugi spun and his eyes darkened. Malik stood in the doorway, his face a stoic mask and his eyes betrayed no emotion, not a flicker of thought.

"State your business." Yugi steeled himself, professional and cold, and with no patience for the man's discontent.

Malik was silent, his eyes fluttered closed. He inhaled a small breathe. "I had a question for you," Malik said softly. His voice was raspy and rough like he was having trouble breathing. Yugi ached a skeptic brow. He'd expected snarling or snapping from Malik or at best restrained politeness, but Malik did not sound angry. At best he sounded scared, or even confused.

There was a long pause as though Malik was not quite sure how to voice the question. "Why did you…earlier… you…when the Trierarch asked, why did you…" He stuttered, the action and timid expression unnatural on the man's normally arrogant face.

Long lashes swept Yugi's cheek in a quick, confused blink.

"Why did you tell the Trierarch that you—why did you protect me?" He said it like it was a strange, unfamiliar shape on his tongue, but he said it.

He expected Yugi to understand then, instead Yugi blinked again. "What do you mean?"

Malik made a groaning sound. He wanted the conversation over before he lost his nerve and they said something awful. "Earlier, when you—"

"No, not that," Yugi cut him off. Malik shot up in surprise. "I meant what do you mean by why? It was the truth. I struck you first, regardless of the reasons why I did. There was no need for you to be punished for my actions." Yugi gave a nonchalant shrug before returning to his work.

Malik's jaw dropped in surprise, stunned mystification bulged his eyes and his face was a mask of shock. His mouth gapped and twisted trying to form words but no sounds came out. Then he stopped and looked at the floor.

Yugi hopped over, concerned. "Are you alright?"

Malik shuddered suddenly and a low rumbling sound escaped his lips. Yugi couldn't tell if he was laughing or sobbing.

"Mal—" Cut off when Malik stood up, Yugi took a step back. The man's emotionless eyes and stoic face returned. "There is something else," he said, quietly, his eyes closed and he inhaled a small breathe—then dropped to his knees in apology.

Yugi's jaw dropped, all shields melted to a stunned, muted disbelief.

"Lord Ujalah, consort of the Trierarch and First of His Royal Majesty King Dartz's Order of Dragon Knights, and Magistrate of Locri, Timaeus, I-" There was a pause. "I wish to express my gratitude for your kindness in regards to the healing of my person, and your mercy concerning the events of this evening."

Yugi stared him in stunned silence, saying nothing.

"And..." Malik paused in the final declaration, like he was forbidden to say the next words. "I wish to apologize for my words and sins against you and beg your forgiveness."

Shocked to silence, Yugi could only listen. Stunned mystification caused him to drop to his chair. "You do not..." Yugi started to say, but Malik halted him—though there was no malice in his voice.

"Let me finish. When the Trierarch first announced your presence to us, I thought you no more than the spiteful child you appeared to be—a tool for peace and nothing more—and I confess it left me bitter. I must also confess that I thought our Trierarch deserved better than the shackles of a loveless marriage born from politics. It never once occurred to me that you were but a stranger who suddenly had this new role thrust ignorantly upon you. Even during your moments of strength, I opted such kindness to arrogance, and I did not think that you and he might have had…" Again, he looked away, embarrassed, "… feelings for each other. When it was apparent that _he_ did, I feared the Trierarch's obsession with you would distract him. And I feared you would take advantage of that obsession for your own personal gain. But then today…" For a moment he could not speak. "You were a better man than I had seen in a long time. I am ashamed of my actions now and I hope that in time, I may be forgiven."

Yugi sat still for a moment, saying nothing, only listening. Words evaded his thoughts like a flock of birds abandoning a tree. His mind processed the wile of the apology as well as its sincerity—the level of respect and courage it took to come here and offer it, to admit to such weakness and confess it to him.

Yugi smiled then laughed—a kind, sweet laugh that made Malik look at him as though he'd gone mad.

"There is nothing to forgive," Yugi said. The man stared at him blankly and moved to speak, but Yugi shook his head.

"No, my friend, you've confessed and now it is my turn. I know your first impression of me did not foster any hopes for our union, mine and the Trierarch's. You are right; I was bitter and I was spiteful and the reasoning is even more childish than my actions, and it was wrong of me to thrust my anger on my husband and my fellow men." Then he smiled. "But I want to change that. The Trierarch and I have forgiven each other, and it's time I was there for my crew. You are just as much mine as you are Timaeus', and I will not let a single man stumble," he declared.

Malik was silent for a moment, taking in the words. Then he smiled and rose, but bowed slightly. "We were such fools." The confession was but a whisper of wind, but when he rose to see Yugi again, he added, "Fools to doubt the Trierarch's judgment."

The discussion was halted by the opening of the door.

Timaeus entered unannounced as he always did, bright-faced and smiling when he saw his husband. "I thought I'd find you here." There was a sly wink to his words that stilled when he saw Malik on the floor.

He frowned once then asked Yugi evenly, "Am I interrupting something?"

Malik stood and bowed. "Forgive me, Trierarch. I was just leaving." He did not hesitate to dismiss himself, leaving the two monarchs alone. Yugi turned to look at Timaeus, who now cast his emerald gaze on him: his ghostly eye a blank reflection betraying no emotion in its harder twin.

"Come." Timaeus offered his hand. "We've business to discuss."

* * *

Again SO proud of this chapter! little Yugi has come such a long way hasn't he :) He's even won over MALIK!

Now the question is what does Timaeus have planned for our favorite little prince ;)

**_NEXT TIME:_**_ Timaeus makes good on his promise._

As always read, review, critique, comment, ask questions and go nuts!


	46. Chapter XLVI: Promise

REWRITE! PART 3

The Part everyone's been waiting for...

* * *

_Chapter ILVI: Promise_

Yugi took his hand and Timaeus led the way. Silence fell between them and Yugi felt unsettled by it. The grip on his hand was soft and almost loving, but his expression remained as readless as it had been when his eyes had fallen on Malik, Yugi's eyes lit up at the new possibility. Had he thought there was further conflict between them? After he expressly forbade it and offered his leniency? Was he still angry about the brawl earlier? He'd expected Timaeus to be angry but never had the man been so consumed by a single emotion as to fall completely silent. Yugi nibbled his lower lip nervously, but squared his shoulders. He promised he would not let this ruin them and he meant it, but it still left him anxious and uncertain.

He barely heard the doors open until the Great Cabin's worn hinges squeaked in protest. Timaeus pushed them open with a single shove and released Yugi's hand to gesture him inside. Yugi straightened his back and stepped in. Timaeus after him. Along with the Trierarch, Yugi felt his heart pound as Timaeus locked the door. The silence more deafening than a scream and his nerves a jumble of wrestling, knotted serpents, Yugi inhaled a breath and questions "Timaeus?"

He never got to finish his sentence. Timaeus whirled him around and, pulling him into him into his arms, crushed his lips to Yugi's. Gasping as the taller, harder body pinned him against the rim of the war table, spilling pieces as it shook. Yugi's hands slid back to gain purchase of something sturdy. The second of surprise ended quickly. Yugi's eyes fluttered closed and he moaned into the kiss, returning it with just as much fervor. He had only a moment to savor it before Timaeus gently pulled away. Yugi's breathe was a soft moan.

The words were spoken of a soft and deep whisper, awed and almost hungry. Yugi regained enough sense to blush. Then blinked.

"You…you're…not mad?" he asked almost nervously, blinking again,

Timaeus grinned: a proud, roguish thing. "I understand why you fought. You had every right too, but you still attacked _me_, blindly, and you _did_ almost start a brawl after I ordered everyone not too." A fingertip ran down the length of Yugi's cheek and neck and back up to curl under his jaw. With a sharp tilt, Yugi's chin was raised. "I don't think I like that."

The tone made Yugi shiver. He bit back another moan when Timaeus' hard, strong body pressed further into his soft and pale one. Then lips descended upon his own and Yugi gasped. A hot tongue enticed his own to play, and his senses burned with the taste of rich spices and the warm sea breeze, his train of thought quickly falling apart under the intense sweetness.

He arched into playful touches running up his sides and his hands trembled. Struggling to keep his balance, his strength unhinged when those warm lips kissed the rim of his mouth than traveled down his neck. Ghostly fingers spidered up his chest making him shiver, then slid the underarmor off his shoulder and kisses descended on his collar.

Yugi gasped in surprise, his senses quickly clearing. "N-No—wait." He squeaked though he was unsure what he wanted.

"No?" Timaeus pulled away, his eyes glittering but his smile was warm. "Perhaps this then?" Two strong arms suddenly encircled his waist and heaved Yugi up onto the table. He heard a loud rip and his palms slid under him. He fell back against the table, pieces scattering into his outline. Yugi shivered and struggled up into a half-sitting position. Timaeus leered above him, eyes glittering but his face was a warm smile: proud and loving and without a trace of teasing.

"You had every right to put Malik in his place, Yugi." The words were a warm breath wafting against his ear. "You could've easily instigated him further but you did not. You could've handed him the capital punishment and no one would've spoken against you: instead you showed him mercy. You could have handed his judgement over to me and let that be the end of it, instead you took it upon yourself. You showed true strength this day. I'm very proud of you."

Tears pricked Yugi's eyes though he could not fathom why. The sheer earnest behind those words made him shiver. Something warm and deep exploded in his chest. Timaeus' gentle words and declaration of pride burned away all of his uncertainty and he felt the enclosed haughty shell of his former self dying in the passion fueled flames of Timaeus' soft touch and warm smile and the phoenix reborn from the ashes was alive and blazing: a creature of confidence and desire as well as challenge.

Above him, Timaeus gently brushed away the tears with his thumbs, smile beaming. "So proud." He rewarded Yugi with another kiss.

Yugi nearly burst from happiness and threw his arms around him in a tight hug. Timaeus caught him and returned the passionate embrace with one of his own. Hearing, seeing, watching Yugi defend his right to be at his side, that Timaeus was his and he, Timaeus': nothing had made him prouder. Happier. More aroused. He doubted even the most skeptical of his men would question Yugi's authority now.

Still drunk on the excitement of watching him fight and the possessive glee of Yugi's bold declaration, Timaeus wasted no time in deepening the kiss. Cupping Yugi's cheek in one hand, the other found the small of his back and gently maneuvered him backwards.

Lying his little prize back against the table Yugi gasped and mewled with delight when Timaeus' lips went lower. Talented hands, fiery kisses and passionate caresses, had all but set Yugi's body on fire. His whole body shivered and squirmed in a symphony of sweet sounds. How long had it been since their wedding day? A tenday maybe two? Three at most? Why did it feel like so much longer? Yugi shuddered again. It was a long time to go without touch. He blushed harder thinking how difficult it must've been for Timaeus after their compromise.

Timaeus was no different, leering down at his lovely prize, wild-eyed and lost in the orchestra of the delicious sounds Yugi made. Each chaste kiss to the exposed skin of his collar and shoulder brought giggling squeaks of delight. Each spidery stroke along the bare skin of his sides made him mewl and purr. High pitched hybrids between a moan and a whimper followed each time his lips and hands moved, and every gentle caress of his bottom and thigh was rewarded with a shuddering squeak: a symphony of pleasure and delight and Timaeus devoured each sweet sound, ravenously.

All too quickly he pulled away. Yugi whimpered in response, eyes pulled into a blink of confused pleading. Dainty hands poised to pull him back.

It was a miracle of his will, Timaeus did not devour the boy at once, but he had a promise to keep—and a lesson to teach.

"Yet you must not forget," he leaned over him, eyes grave and glittering. His smile had not lost its warmth. "I am the Trierarch: keeping the men in line is my duty. Yours, sweetling, is to solve disputes and take care of everyone, especially now that you are Quartermaster."

Yugi blushed, pinned in place by those blazing eyes.

Timaeus sighed dramatically, "Now I am torn," he said with mock dilemma. "I'm uncertain if I should reward you or punish you."

The tone was teasing, but Yugi jumped. "P-punish me?" He demanded half insulted, half excited. "For wha-ah!" He didn't get to finish as he was suddenly hoisted into Timaeus' arms, like a lop-sided bride and carried down the familiar path to the Trierarch's quarters. The Trierarch smirked. "You _did_ just confess you struck first did you not?"

The former prince blushed and Timaeus beamed.

"You've left me in quite a predicament, little one. I simply don't know _what_ I'm going to do with you?" He deposited his burden on the bed, and Yugi yelped when he sank into the feathers, and shivered under those leering eyes. Just now, he became aware of the large rip exposing his right side and hip, and the loose silver fabric hanging comically off his left shoulder, and that hungry, blazing look in the Trierarch's eye. Yugi's heart pounded. He _knew_ that look. Knew it from the first time they'd met, the first time they'd kissed, and so many more moments after that—that same amorous leer of sheer amazement that bordered on desire. The look Timaeus used when he wanted him, and was determined to have Yugi want him back.

Yugi's eyes pulled into a smirk. Well, two could play at that came. With a sudden burst of confidence and energy from his pounding heart, Yugi pushed into a seated position and crossed his legs. One hand, balancing him the other gripping the fabric of his opposite shoulder and ripping it down. The fabric tore exposing, honey milk skin.

A coquettish smile curled at his lips and his half-lidded eyes glittered with merry wickedness. "You know," Yugi drawled in a seductive purr. "You don't _have_ to punish me." The rest of the armor fell, exposing a slim chest and soft curves. His smirk curled a little when Timaeus froze. "You could just reward me today, and then punish me later, couldn't you?" Soft, slender hands tiptoed up Timaeus' chest, then gently shoved him down so the other was sprawled across the bed, and Yugi across his lap. "You _are_ the Trierarch no one could argue or speak against you and who's to complain once it's been done?" Lotus blue eyes glittered bright and brilliant with a lustful amethyst hue.

Beneath him Timaeus growled like a hungry beast denied its kill. Oh, clever little thing, his lotus, imp, consort, Yugi, was. With a sudden surge of strength, Timaeus ceased Yugi's biceps and flipped the over, the younger yelped as he was moved and suddenly found himself pinned beneath the starving hunter that was his husband, and gulped when he felt the tattered remains of his clothing slip further own his hips—where one of Timaeus' strong, experienced hands was already placed. All the other had to do was rip, and he'd be his.

"You know?" Timaeus purred above him. A low, rumbling tone relaxed as thunder and just as grave. Yugi gulped. "I think I like that idea."

Yugi's eyes lit with a sudden nervous panic, as the other leaned down. Yugi closed his eyes and waited for another tantalizing wave of paralyzing kisses. All he felt was a gentle press to his forehead. He blinked and looked up. Timaeus pulled away with warm eyes. "Rest well, my little one, I gave you my word I'd wait and I have no intention of breaking that vow." He promised and sealed the bond with a chaste kiss to his cheek

It was honesty not hesitation and his willingness to keep that promise nearly caused Yugi's heart to burst.

Then Timaeus' eyes glittered. "But," His hands moved wickedly to cup Yugi's buttocks and started kneading the soft flesh.

"Oh God!" Yugi can only scream and spreads his knees apart. Timaeus' hand slips behind him and starts peeling off the filthy underarmor and lowered his mouth to Yugi's soft thighs. "When I'm finished with you, you'll wish I had."

X X X

When Yugi awoke again the next morning, it was in a dazed stupor, he rolled over and found Timaeus asleep next to him. He smiled: giddy and exuberant and leaned forward to kiss him.

There was a brief rustle of movement then his eyes opened. He smiled lovingly, arms rested next to his consort's frame, one hand artistically brushing Yugi's feathery bangs clear from his face with tender care. "Good morning."

"Morning," Yugi giggled, sweetly. The soft, chiming sound was music in Timaeus' ears.

For a spell of time the two monarchs lay there: watching the other smile, basking in the dreamy tenderness and exchanging loving, wordless glances. The silence all the more comforting for it.

"Am I forgiven?" Yugi asked in a whisper though the words lost none of their playful sweetness.

Timaeus sat himself up and shook his head chuckling. "There was nothing to forgive, my love," he said moving his hand to stroke and cup Yugi's cheek. "But…" he added, eyes flickering. "I trust you learned your lesson?" There was a tease in the warning that made Yugi nod. "Yes," he sighed.

"And?" Timaeus chided, gently.

"You are the Trierarch, I am your Quartermaster. You keep everyone in line and I take care of everyone."

"And…" Timaeus pressed in a melatonin drag.

Yugi snorted but snuggled his cheek against the man's side. "No more fights."

"Good." Timaeus smiled then slid down to give Yugi a proper kiss. Yugi returned it whole heartedly.

"Although," Timaeus added when they pulled away, "I must admit, watching you fight Malik like that was the most _enticing_ thing I'd ever seen," he said, eyes glittering and Yugi blushed.

"Was it?" Yugi said with a coquettish cock of the head, still blushing.

Timaeus blinked, surprised. Even more so when Yugi wedged himself closer and plopped into his lap "What about now?" He leaned so close their faces almost touch, and the warm sleekness of Yugi's skin burned through the thin small clothes he wore and set his arousal afire. His gentle hands were like spiders weaving silky trails along his skin. Their tiny legs dancing like pinpricks before bursting into a thousand galvanizing sparks, tempting and teasing with touches so soft and tempting that for a moment, Timaeus thought flames were licking at him. Yugi was like a flame tempting the moth: so close he could burn him easily, but instead he patiently waited for his prey to take the bait and embrace the sweet, tempting softness of his kiss before striking.

And burn he would, Timaeus knew, feeling the flames spike his blood with temptation and the beast inside his mind banged at its cages demanding to take its sweet prize, blissfully unaware of its fate. It would be so easy to set it free. With the key already in the lock, and all he had to do was turn it…Instead he snapped it shut, curled his lips into a smirk and ceased Yugi's chin.

"I am tempted," he answered. "So _very_ tempted." He pulled Yugi closer, shivering with a possessive delight when Yugi shivered. His eyes fluttered close and he parted his lips to kiss him—then his fingers slipped and he kissed and grasped open air. Caught back, his eyes shot open, blinking, bewildered and dumbstruck.

A giggle came from the corner. He shot towards it in just enough time for Yugi struggling to keep his hands over his mouth before he erupted into a laughter so harsh he tumbled from the bed.

Timaeus growled. "You. Devious, little. Imp." He punctured each word with a grated growl and a domineering step until he was over the crumpling, laughing mess.

Yugi had only a moment to scrutinize him before he pounced. Yugi shrieked when Timaeus ceased him round the middle and pinned him to the bed. His breathe gone in a single second and his heart palpitating. Timaeus fixated him with a curled smile like a hungry hound that hadn't eaten in weeks and Yugi was a tempting treat.

"Didn't I not warn you?" His voice was a sultry rasp, dangerously low and laced with wicked promise. "Not to start something unless you intended to finish it, you naughty little thing?" There was a patronizing tease to the words like a patient taskmaster scolding a stubborn apprentice. It made Yugi's heart pound even more—whether it as from excitement or fear, he didn't know which.

"Now I have to punish you." Timaeus' hand slipped below the folds of Yugi's shift. Determined fingers sliding across the silks like a shark until he felt the rouge fingers slide up his leg, his thigh, towards his bottom…Yugi closed his eyes and bit his lip. Heart pounding in his heart and his breath frozen in his throat…waiting, anticipating.

A sharp sting slapped across the side of his bottom and thigh: Yugi reacted with the force of a wound up spring, shrieking and flailing all his limbs in a single, terrorized movement. Shock and fear nursed by anticipation and impatience exploded into a moment of pure terror and then vanished all at once. After a few heavy breathes to calm himself down, Yugi felt his mind clear and processed the memory. Rubbing the reddening skin of his side, he stared at Timaeus with a mixture of shock and utter disbelief.

Timaeus stood, smirking. "There, now that you've learned your lesson…" he strutted to the wardrobe, pulled out an outfit for himself and tossed Yugi his clothes: a slippery, silken garment and leggings Yugi recognized as the gown he'd worn his first night on the ship. "Hurry up and get dressed. We've much to do before dawn."

Yugi's lashes swept across his cheek. He stared at the outfit then at Timaeus.

"Don't give me that look," Timaeus' sharp voice shook. Yugi fixed Timaeus with a scowl but the elder only smirked. "You've worn that underarmor for nearly a week straight and after that scuffle last night you'll be lucky if Rhebekka can have it cleaned and patched in a few days. Until then its time you adjusted to a Magistrate's wardrobe."

"I wasn't talking about the clothes!" Yugi shook his head regaining his sensed and pointed and accusing finger "You…" he paused shaking in anger and unable to find the right description. "Spanked me?" he tried.

Timaeus snorted. "At worst I swatted your bottom, are you _really_ going to make a scene after all the teasing you've been doing?" he challenged arching an eyebrow.

Fiercely wanting to protest, Yugi glared at him and with a final snort to save his pride, relented and pulled off his shift. He donned the small clothes and leggings first, then hesitated pulling on the shift.

Timaeus frowned. "Is it uncomfortable?" he asked curious.

Yugi shook his head. "It's not that it's just…so odd." He pulled the top over his head to tie the rest of it. He'd didn't object when Timaeus helped him with the belts. "I'm not used to wearing so much at once."

"I understand," Timaeus nodded tying the top. "You are used to Kemet's hot climate and the versilitude of the sea. You've not yet experienced Locri's warm winds and cold spells, but I'm sure in time you will get used to them."

"I hope so." Yugi's response was a long sigh, but he flashed Timaeus a small smile.

The man only smiled then added curly. "Don't even think of brawling it in though. Else you'll have to go naked until we reach Locri, and I'll not have rumor spreading that I can't provide for my wife." He said with a serious eye and a sultry playfulness in his tone as teasing fingers lifted to stroke the delicate curve of Yugi's soft cheek. "So you had best behave yourself."

Yugi snorted with derision.

Timaeus' eyes hardened. "Yugi?" Timaeus regarded him with even eyes and stern irritation. Still Yugi stubbornly remained silent. He decided to change tactic. "You realize," he only half threatened "I could still punish you for your brawling. Justified or not."

"Punish me?" Yugi shrieked, shrill with irritation. "I am not some child!" He retorted with so little respect _were_ he a child he'd have been slapped for it.

"No?" Timaeus said: voice stern and face stoic, but eyes and smile blazing: one with hunger the other with challenge. Yugi wasn't sure which excited him more. "Perhaps I should turn you over my knee and spank you?"

Yugi spun to him aghast and appalled. A part of him wondered if he was jesting and knew the answer, the other found the idea, dare he even consider it, arousing. "You wouldn't dare!"

Timaeus' smirk widened "Do you wish to test me?"

Yugi knew the smirk and that tone. He'd used it before, when he asked Yugi if he wished to learn the secret of Timaeus' scar, and had only wanted to test his resolve.

"You would," he said without hesitation then added boldly, "but you would not do it to punish me, you would do it just to tease me."

A rich laugh rolled off his Timaeus tongue. Levering the stern in place he leaned against the railing, legs crossed elegantly. "No, little one, I would not..." He tugged the finger of his glove, stripping it from the flesh. "I told you, I'm far more chivalrous with my lovers than that," he stripped the second in the same fashion and left them at his side.

Then he pushed himself up and bowed to meet Yugi's eyes, the bare fingers reaching to stroke his cheek, the gentlest of promises. "And _you_ are my consort."

Yugi trembled under his touch, but not in fear. Slowly, Timaeus bent down to kiss him. Yugi leaned into the touch. Timaeus pulled away and pinned Yugi's back to the wall. Hard. His face was set with a humored smile, but his eyes were grave. "I am serious, Yugi." His tone was serious and dangerously seductive.

This was not his husband whose tender kisses warmed his skin and offered him companionship or the Rouge who only minutes before set his soul aflame.

This was the Trierarch, whose command was absolute and who would not hesitate to coerce Yugi to his will, and who looked at him like a hungry beast and Yugi was a rabbit he couldn't wait to devour.

It sent a shiver through him: whether it was excitement or fear, Yugi, himself, did not know.

"I catch you brawling again, I'll throw you over my shoulder and drag you to the brigs myself. And if I have to tell you a _third _time…" He spun Yugi around in his arms and slid a rough hand up Yugi's thigh. His face curled into a smirk. His next words dangerously low with lust and gravity in Yugi's ear. "Then I will tan this pretty ass of yours until it's as red as your face." He finished with a quick swat across Yugi's bottom to make his point.

Yugi blushed and spun to face him when Timaeus let him go. His hands instinctively moved to cover the abused area. "Fine." Yugi grumbled fiddling with the skirts then flashed Timaeus a derisive smile. "Shame this is my _only _outfit."

Timaeus threw his head back and laughed, his husband once more. "I apologize, love. Had I'd known I'd be returning from Kemet with a bride," he teased, leaning against the wardrobe, then launched into a grand, dramatic bow. "I'd have kept a wardrobe stocked full of silks and satins and fur and all else befitting a Magistrate of Locri."

Despite himself, Yugi laughed. "Oh, Timaeus." He shook his head, but he was smiling.

"By the way," Timaeus asked with an almost childish curiosity. "What was it that Malik wanted?"

Hoping from the stool, Yugi grinned, laughing impishly. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

Timaeus did not miss the coquettish wink in his eye. "As a matter of fact, I would." He took long steps closer until he towered over Yugi, eyes sly and grinning. "Or do I have to force it out of you?" He smiled a smile that promised things.

Yugi met his eyes, grinning and locking eyes with his lover until he could stand it no longer and broke into a fit of giggles.

Timaeus rewarded him by lifting him from the waist and trapping him on the stool, strong hands pinning the slender hips in place and looked up at his little medic with fox eyes. "Well?" he demanded in a playfully-threatening tone.

Yugi was almost tempted, but at the last moment, decided against it. "If you must know," Yugi began, shaking back a curtain of hair. "He came to thank me for the elixir I offered him for his burnt skin—several of the men have actually—and," he paused deliberately and waited for the impatience to sparkle in Timaeus' eyes.

"And?" As expected, the man asked, arching an impatient brow.

"He wished to apologize for any rudeness over the course of our voyage and I, in turn, apologized for my," he paused again, this time out of embarrassment, "less than lord-like behavior when we first met."

Timaeus pulled away, his lips lifting into a proud smile. "Well done," he cheered, and helped him down when Yugi offered his hand. "I knew you would do well." His eyes were beaming and in that moment, Yugi could've died smiling: he felt so happy. Instead, he embraced his husband tightly, and felt the warm strength of his arms when he returned the gesture. All too quickly for Yugi's liking, it ended.

"Come." Timaeus offered his hand. "We've much to do this day."

Yugi smiled and accepted his hand. Then he pushed himself up and kissed him sweetly. "Let's" he pulled away with a bright smile.

Timaeus blinked for a moment, gentle fingers brushed his lips where the kiss lingered and his tongue tasted the sweet flavor of honey and pomegranates and something else that was distinctly Yugi. Once certain, he chuckled "What was that for?"

"A thank you," Yugi said, a blush painting his cheeks rosy. "For the other day."

Timaeus only smiled and kissed the corner of his lips and slipped his hand in Yugi's. "Shall we?" Timaeus led him away, beaming with pride at the light shining off his little consort. Pride, confidence, hope… It made his heart flutter.

One day, and one day soon, he would make a true noble authority.

* * *

Not sure how I feel about the title but it just seemed to fit :)

I am SO proud of this section! oh my gosh you have NO idea how hard that scene with Yugi and Timaeus was to write! THAT was the part that took the better part of TWO MONTHS to finish! it was So hard cause i aready had the awesome scenes between them written so now i Had to work backwards phew!

Well if you'll all remmebr back in march i took a break due to block for these chapters and prewrot the earlier ones...well i am pleased to announce TIMAEUS UPDATES WILL BE BACK TO WEEKLY! (angel choir!) thank god!

Still figuring out a good day so let me know what works for everyone otherwsie i think I'll stick with Wednesdays :)

**_NEXT TIME:_**_ Timaeus and Yugi have a serious discussion about their marriage and upcoming nuptuials and a sudden storm leads to an unexpected surprise...  
_

As always read, review, critique, comment, ask questions and go nuts!


	47. Chapter XLVII: Dance

I actually wrote this chapter six months ago...this is what I did my entire trip for Florida back in March and finished it up on the plane home :) This chapter...Its my favorite so far i had it in my head since i started this story and was SO happy to finally put pen to paper!

The early scene was actually inspired by a very passionate reviewer named Felicia Monkind-her and I having a very strong debate about Timaeus after the beginning chapters and her opinions honestly made me think and I enjoyed her suggestions and her feedback, so the beginning scene was inspired by her comments. So thanks for that hun! I honestly couldn't think of a better place to put it then this chapter since that knowledge and confirmation I really think was the first step Yugi and Timaeus needed to really breaking through their shells and taking the next step-hence the second part of this chapter!

ALSO: I started creating a soundtrack for Timaeus based on the themes, characters and certain events in the story...this one being my personal favorite, I have two songs that really go with it and every time I listen to them I just think Timaeus and Yugi...I strongly suggest listening them while you read, especially the second half:

Clarity-Zedd (Timaeus of Locri's theme song-it just screamed Timaeus and Yugi first time i heard it)

Fearless-Taylor Swift-Its just perfect for this chapter

Enjoy!

* * *

_Chapter XLVII: Dance _

"Ow!" Yugi complained with a vocal whine.

"Yugi…" Timaeus dragged out the name with a heavy, patient sigh. "We've already discussed this. The more you struggle, the more it's going to hurt."

With a childish harrumph, Yugi crossed his arms, his face scrunched in a pout. "You could be gentler."

Timaeus snorted, unamused. "I've been plenty gentle. You keep fidgeting."

"Do not!"

"You fret like a sheltered maiden on her wedding night."

"I do not!" Yugi protested and spun, a blush blooming pink across his cheeks.

"You just did so again," Timaeus pointed out in a rough, grated voice. "Now hold still or we'll be here 'till midday."

With an exasperated huff, Yugi obeyed and Timaeus returned to his work and proceeded to untangle the drying locks with a wooden comb.

Half a ten-day later, the newly christened Quartermaster found himself fully assimilated into his new role. His mornings had settled into a regular martial routine: Timaeus would rise early and Yugi with him. After their bath, Tim would survey everything from water levels to storage arrangements, and set every man able-bodied on the ship to work. Yugi would accompany him, and after, cook the morning meal. They'd break their fast together then separate for their individual duties. Though Rhebekka still held position over the more political aspects of the ship, the role of Physician and Chef was now Yugi's domain. And when he returned to the great cabin after fixing the evening meal, he'd collapse on the bed he shared with Timaeus utterly exhausted and content to let the man ravish him with pride.

"It's not my fault I have so much hair," Yugi mumbled, leaning back againsr the warm chest.

"Your hair is beautiful," Timaeus insisted, weaving the smooth, darkening strands back behind Yugi's ears with his fingers. "It's soft and shiny like raven feathers and your forelock looks like a golden crown. It makes you look like royalty."

"I _am _royalty," Yugi boasted proudly. He would never admit it out loud, but this part of his day delighted him most. Never once had Timaeus' confidence in him faltered, even when they argued—Yugi hadn't given up on his habit of barging in unasked and uninvited if he suspected his too busy husband was missing meals. To see the pride beaming on Timaeus' face in those brief moments Yugi caught him staring, the way his mismatched eyes gleamed when Yugi stood his ground or how his lips curled into a smile each time Yugi defended his case smoothly and unabashed, though Timaeus hid it well: it made his inside giggle and sent a thrill through him.

"Indeed." Timaeus paused to smile at the sultry amethyst eyes. When their gazes met, the challenge was spoken and they flashed their most tempting grins. Then Yugi pulled away and cocked his head like a bird, grinning and livid eyes twinkling with mischief. Playful fingers danced up the man's long, muscled leg yet remaining strictly at arm's length—overwhelmingly desirable but completely unattainable. He smirked when Timaeus growled, eyes becoming narrowed and shaded. Only he could make Timaeus this wild, this sensitive. Yugi beamed with pride. He would be the _only _one to make him act this, he decided, cupidously.

Timaeus' snatched his hands, halting all further actions. The deep, alluring emerald of his eyes darkened to a liquid myrtle that had not lost a hint of its sparkle. Its pearlescent twin flashed with clear, sinister silver. He certainly didn't miss the coquettish glint in the sprite's calculating eyes. Creeping forward, he flashed a smile bright with merry wickedness. Yugi saw it, and all the bravado melted from his face.

Timaeus' smile curled. He leaned forward but Yugi's retreat matched his step for step. Then Timaeus paused, so close Yugi felt his warm breath on his face, and his every nerve trembled. His hand moved ever so carefully, ever so gently to lace around those suddenly-trembling thighs. One hand stopped, the other gently grasped his hand, then both squeezed and Yugi gasped.

"And just what are you planning, my mischievous little sprite?"

When the rumbled words left his lips, Timaeus leaned forward and pressed his lips against the other's.

The intensity of it crashed against the sheer gentleness of it and Yugi's whole body liquefied under him, and he sank into Timaeus' warm, welcoming arms. Yugi grasped him with shaking hands and quivering thighs. _I'm just as bad_, he admitted, when the kiss left his lips but trailed down his neck and collar. He gasped and moaned under Timaeus' tender ministrations, thighs quivering in Timaeus' lap, and his shaking hands suddenly lost their grip.

Desperate for support, they reached for the wall, but clenched empty air. Before he could gather his bearings, he tumbled to the floor with a yelp of surprise. He winced with a loud hiss and rubbed his abused bottom. A choked snort followed the abrupt movement and Yugi shot up, glaring.

Timaeus looked down at him, bright-eyed and impossibly-wide grin pinched, holding back laughter. Yugi's brows slanted. Embarrassed fury cracked his voice. "If you _dare_…" He punctured each word with a low hiss, despite the blush suffusing his cheeks with color.

If anything, Timaeus' grin only grew larger. "I will try," he promised in a squeezed, squeaky voice opposite of his normal, deep baritone.

Yugi only blushed harder. Gathering his dignity, the boy rose to recover the slip he'd worn the night before and tossed Timaeus his under-armor. "Get dressed," Yugi ordered, retrieving his slip from the floor**. **

"Yes," Timaeus offered a hand and shoved the door out the privy open. "Before Rhebekka begins wondering where we've been."

"Oh, yes, we don't want her wild imagination wandering to mischievous places." He took Timaeus' hand and followed him into the room, grinning.

"Aye," Timaeus snorted impishly and crept behind his little lover. "No matter," he whispered, low and husky in Yugi's ear—emphasizing his desire by slipping his fingers along the bare curve of Yugi's shoulders where the shift exposed his throat. "We will have our own wedding venture soon enough."

Yugi blushed.

It struck him suddenly, like a douse of cold water, just how close they were to Locri. To his new home, his new life… A new home he'd be sharing with Timaeus. A new life he'd have as his Magistrate—his consort. And something else, he realized at once. Flashing images burned in front of his eyes: the ritual carrying of the bride over the threshold, the wedding feast celebrating their union, the joined rooms they would now share as husband and consort, the nuptial bed waiting for them to consummate their marriage…

The _bedding_.

Heat crept up his neck and spread throughout his face and he shivered in… excitement? Fear? Perhaps both? He was a maiden married, but the bedding had yet to occur. Kemet's boys and girls alike were rarely maidens on their wedding night, but there has always been something wonderfully wicked and exciting about the bedding—yet now that the moment was upon him, Yugi's heart was pounding with what that truly meant. Once they arrive in Locri, he would become so much more than just Timaeus' Magistrate. He would become his consort… his _lover. _

The thought terrified him as much as it excited him, though he was uncertain if it was the prospect of losing his virginity that frightened him or the actual bedding itself. It meant surrendering himself completely and exposing the very core of his body and soul. It meant laying down all his defenses, relinquishing control and becoming one with another person... with Timaeus. It meant… Yugi gulped, blushing harder than he had the first time Pas and Mut had explained it to him—_penetration_: the pain and the pleasure that came from spilling one's maiden blood. And then there was Timaeus himself who, as a dashing, virile young man with a handsome face, _handsomer _body, and wicked smirk, was _hardly_ unbeddable.

Yugi blushed deeper. He'd grown so used to the casual progression of their relationship: the casual kissing, the dallied teasing, and the playful, coquettish way they challenged each other in bed. It was so natural and delightful, his body and soul seeming to know already what to do, what it wanted—and it wanted Timaeus. Already his body was sensitive to Timaeus' every touch, aching and longing for the day their relationship went beyond chaste kisses and playful teasing. Yet it was a foudroyant prospect all the same.

Timaeus watched his lover grow quiet and frowned, puzzled. Yugi unwound himself from Timaeus' arms and wrapped his hands and arms around his shoulders like he was chilled. The sudden unhappy expression on his lover's downcast face unnerved him. Had he said something to upset him? Yugi had never shied away from his teasing before. Then again, his teasing had never gone beyond their chaste kisses and gentle touches either. Had Yugi's question not been one of curiosity but discomfort? He did not know, but he would rectify it now.

"Forgive me," he said, placing a gentle hand on Yugi's shoulder. "I was only teasing, Yugi," he insisted, apologetic and free of badinage.

"What?" Yugi blinked, perplexed, then shook his head. "No, no, it's not that." He sighed. "I'm just nervous, I suppose. We're almost at Atlantis—at Locri. There is still so much I do not know. Everything is happening so fast. I suppose I'm just uncertain…"

Timaeus put a finger under his chin and coaxed him to look up. "What troubles you, my sweet?" Timaeus halted his teasing.

Yugi thought for a moment. Thinking of their impending nuptials and consummation brought to life another question he'd had on his tongue but had never found a time and place proper enough to ask. "Not a trouble, a… curiosity, actually. The second wedding… I'm… not sure I understand it. Is it a repeat of the first, only more lavish? What purpose does it serve?"

Timaeus tensed. Pulling his hands away, he turned. "No, my little gem. It's much more than that."

Yugi frowned. "Is there some part of it that will unnerve me? Whatever it is, I wish to know. We promised no more secrets."

Timaeus shook his head. " 'Tis not that, love. I have no wish to keep the details from you. I am simply searching for the best way to explain them."

A pregnant silence passed between them, and Yugi felt suffocated by it. Timaeus took his hand and sat him down on the couch with the champagne silk and leggings in his lap, grateful Yugi slipped them on without fussing. He then retrieved his small clothes and dressed quickly. When he was finished, he sat down beside Yugi, the silence unbearable.

Yugi almost wished to retract the question when Timaeus asked suddenly, "Yugi, how simple is divorce in your country?"

The question stunned him so that, for a moment, Yugi could not speak. He organized his answer, then said, "Fairly easy and common. More so for the common folk than the aristocracy, but it requires no trouble unless one spouse charges the other with a marital crime."

"I see." Timaeus' smile was sad. "To answer your question, the second marriage is a reflection of our Chief God and Goddess who reunite for six months of the year. The custom is meant to celebrate the unification of a happy couple, succeeding the first and worst obstacles of marriage, but it serves another purpose, as well." He paused for so long Yugi feared he would have to ask what it was. Then Timaeus finally spoke. "When our patron God married his wife, he did so without her mother's consent and so furious was she that she demanded her daughter's return, going so far as to threaten all who opposed her. Eventually, the maiden was left with the choice of staying with her husband or returning with her mother. As it happened, her husband loved her dearly, but knew his wife missed her family and her home, and as much as he wanted for her to stay with him, he could not bear to see her unhappy. So he consented to let her return."

Yugi listened intently, hanging onto his every word. "Though the situation resolved itself so everyone was satisfied, we continue that ritual in her honor." He stopped and looked Yugi straight in the eye. "And so six moons to the day of the first celebration, the bride, like the Maiden, has a choice: she may remain with her husband in marriage or she may divorce him and return to her family with no shame nor scorn brought upon either party."

Yugi was stunned. "I-I thought," he stumbled over his words, his tongue suddenly clumsy and knotted, "the vows couldn't be undone and you couldn't—"

"_I _couldn't," Timaeus explained. "But _you_ can. The vows could not be undone then because it is not possible before the second ceremony. After that, divorce is not difficult but more complex, but before that—well, it is no different than saying your partner is a poor one."

Yugi stared at him, perplexed.

"Had I divorced you, I'd be claiming you were a poor spouse, and it would shame you and dishonor me as an impatient husband. Were you to do so to me, it would be no different."

Yugi understood then: he was being given an escape, a chance to undo the past and start a new life on his own terms without the fear and stigma of the consequences. Even the Treaty would still be in effect. For all his grief, however, he had never considered divorce. He _had_ wanted to marry Timaeus. For all his rants, he never once thought of actually leaving and divorce seemed more like a childish escape than an option for freedom.

"Is that why you said you wouldn't divorce me? To spare us both shame?" He heard the words but couldn't recall saying them, like his spirit was a phantom floating above his body and the vacant shell was speaking on its own.

"It is a part of it," Timaeus confessed. "But mostly because I do not want to." He smiled. "I adored you, and I do even more now. I cannot imagine having anyone else in my arms each night and at my side each day."

The confession enthralled him as much as it terrified him, and not for the first time, Yugi found himself questioning, _If I surrendered my heart to you, will you protect it? If I lay my shields down and accept all you give me, will I care what happens to me so long as it's your arms I land in?_

His next question sank on the tip of his tongue, terrified to be put out into the world. _But ask it, I must. _"And if I couldn't bear you?" he asked suddenly. "What would you do, then?"

The couch creaked when Timaeus rose from it. His shrug was nonchalant but his eyes glittered with sadness. "Then I would tell my King you want an annulment, on whatever grounds you choose. Then I'd arrange separate quarters and such for you until a time you can choose your family."

"What about the treaty?" Yugi asked.

"What about it? The King can always take you as his ward and it would suffice."

"But… the shame… witnesses?"

Timaeus raised a hand. "I told you once that I only want to make you happy. I meant it and still do, so if you truly could not bear it, I would not stop you. I'd rather be shamed and alone than see you married to someone you hated." He said it so casually, but Yugi heard the anguish in it and could stand no more.

"No!" He threw himself from the couch and hugged him tight, shaking his head. "Don't say such things! I don't hate you!" _I think I'm falling for you. _But he could not say that.

Timaeus looked surprised for a moment, but returned the hug and comforted him. "I don't hate you either." He gently brushed away a tear Yugi hadn't realized had fallen with a strong finger. Timaeus looked down at him and smiled reassuringly. "And there's plenty of good marriages that started with much less than that."

He hugged Yugi tighter, pressing them together. They stayed like that and for the first time in many days, Yugi felt warmth rush through him. Warm and safe and… loved. That was what he felt in Timaeus' arms. Loved. How had it happened so suddenly? He didn't know, but in that moment, he did not care.

They only pulled away when Yugi's pinched stomach voiced its discomfort with a loud grumble. The boy blushed and Timaeus chuckled.

"Come, let us eat. But first," he leaned in for another kiss, but his lips touched Yugi's finger instead.

"Uh-uh," Yugi tutted, wagging a scolding finger vertically, emboldened by the conversation. "You've already had your kiss for this morning," he said with a saucy smile, eyes bright with mischief and an obvious sway in his hips. "The rest you'll have to earn." With a playful wink, he was out of their apartments, leaving Timaeus alone, growling and hungry.

"Very well!" He licked his lips and gave chase. He pounced and caught his shrieking lover, who burst into a fit of laughter. "Now come," he chastised playfully. "Breakfast's not going to keep."

X X X

"Careful, love," Timaeus warned playfully over the roar of the wind. "If you lean any further, the wind's going to blow you away. You're so petite."

Yugi stuck out his tongue. "It's only wind. And I'm not that small, as you well know." The wind gathered up his hair in playful twirls, kissed his cheeks, and pillowed his clothes with all the tenderness of a teasing lover. Yugi giggled and breathed deeply. The air was spicy with the scent of brine and wet wood and left a saltine taste on his tongue when he exhaled. The bright sun warmed his skin and cast twinkling lights over the wide, brilliant cerulean waves like someone had scattered diamonds over a blue cloth. Yugi smiled and gazed lovingly at the wide, beautiful blue vastness of it. His duties as Quartermaster had commanded so much of his attention that Yugi almost forgot how much he loved the sea.

Timaeus watched his young lover with a bemused smile. Briefly, he wondered what he must do to keep such a smile on Yugi's face all the time. He pondered the thought, then sighed briefly and turned back to his navigator. "You're certain of those estimates?" he said in a rough demand.

Ryou nodded, one hand on the helm and the other pointing to the map on the small table. The wind curled the corners and he rolled it up before it could escape. "Positive," he insisted. "It was a sweet night, and the winds are on our side. We'll arrive in Locri on the morrow."

Yugi heard bits and pieces of the conversation, then blinked when the bright blue horizon he'd been observing suddenly changed color. "What's that there?" he asked, pointing a slender finger towards the gathering darkness.

The streaks of clouds suddenly knitted together like patches of a large cloth. Mountains heaped upon mountains of dark gray and silver, but not the heavy purple and blacks that promised a storm. No thunder roared in the distance. No lighting streaked the sky. Only thick pale gray clouds.

Timaeus turned his gaze to the sky and his eyes narrowed. Yugi copied him, curious, and watched as the blanket of clouds spread thick and heavy, but were quick and silent like a rolling mist. A shadow suddenly crept over the ship and the sun vanished.

Then it came. The first moisture rich drop fell and landed on Yugi's cheek, cooling it to the touch. Yugi jumped and blinked. Another drop quickly followed. Then another. At once, Yugi understood and his eyes widened.

"It's raining?" He jumped with a stutter in his words.

"Indeed," Timaeus agreed when the light drizzle suddenly picked up speed and rhythm. He spun to Ryou and ordered. "Tell the men to rig the oars and tie the scuttlebutts to the main deck. Buckets, barrels, anything you can find to gather water. Secure the helm then tell the men to get below. It's just rain, but I'm not taking any chances."

"Sir." Ryou bowed and did as he was bid.

Timaeus nodded and spun to his consort. "Yugi, we need to—" He stopped and blinked, puzzled. Yugi stood, skittishly examining the clear crystalline drops curiously. He held out a shaking hand and gasped when one landed on his hand, forming a tiny puddle that evaporated into his skin. Amethyst eyes blinked, fascinated and perplexed at once. Examining it like a child with a new curiosity to explore.

Timaeus chuckled. "It's only water, Yugi," he laughed, taking his lover's hand.

Yugi blinked several times, then shook his head when rain suddenly picked up and littered droplets in his hair. The cool winds suddenly turned warm and stagnant and Yugi spun around, holding out his free hand as more rain continued to fall, faster, heavier, and warmer.

"This is rain?" Yugi asked, surprised and disbelieving.

Timaeus could only smile. "I imagine they did not get much rain in the desert, hmm?" he asked, understanding at once.

"We did," Yugi said, blinking again, and unweaving his hand from Timaeus to catch more raindrops. Notorious for its limited rainfall, Kemet survived almost entirely from the water it inaugurated from the Nile. Rainfall was too infrequent, undependable, and unpredictable, and often accompanied a fierce storm. It fell cold and hard, and was just as likely to ruin a crop as it was to nurture it and sent people scattering and running for shelter. It was no rain for little boys to play in.

This was no such rain.

"But not like this…" Yugi noted with a dreamy smile.

Before Timaeus could ask him what he meant, Yugi's hand subconsciously pulled free, and he pulled himself back to the edge and leaned over. Timaeus gasped and reached for him but Yugi pulled back and skipped away before Timaeus could catch him.

"Yugi?" he called, his voice catching in his throat.

Leaning over the edge, Yugi watched the waters churn in tiny ripples under the rain like thousands of tiny glass mirrors shattering at once. He pulled away and hurried down the steps, and threw back his wet hair, scattering raindrops. It hung wet and heavy and clung to his neck and forehead in loose, wild strands, and he loved the feel of it against his skin. His face rose to greet the rain and he spun it a circle. It felt soft and warm like his mother's kisses on his cheeks. His giggled childishly, spread his arms and spun in a wide circle.

"Yugi!" Timaeus rushed down the steps after him, but Yugi either didn't hear him or chose not to. The giggling boy spun faster and then took off running, eyes bright and wide with childish wonder and laughing uncontrollably.

Timaeus gawked and quickly undid the mantle around his shoulders and began to fasten it as he ran. "At least wear a hood!" he called, but his voice was lost in the rain and Yugi's whimsy laughter. "You'll take a chill!"

Yugi's only response was a mirthful fit of laughter. He burst across the deck, weaving through sailors securing huge empty barrels to the ship's side with thick ropes. One struggled and Yugi stopped to help tie the knot, and the man nodded in thanks. Yugi danced away, careful to avoid the other men in his quest to catch raindrops. When his heavy hair flopped in front of his face, he stopped and tossed it back like a veil. Running his hands through it and shaking out the messy mop, scattering raindrops as he went. The silks clung to his skin wetly and he spun a few more times to shake them out, but it did little good when the rain fell in harder, in wet, warm, and diagonal streaks. Yugi hurried and the rain rushed to catch him. The men simply laughed or smiled, admiring their Trierarch's curious consort.

When said Trierarch burst through the crowd out of breath and eyes hard, the men simply bowed, smiling, and pointed in the direction of his wayward wife. Timaeus took off again, but not before barking for double knots and ties at the top and bottom. "I don't want to lose a single drop," he ordered, harsh and heavy despite his breathless voice, and took off again.

The men were already finished and preparing to go down below by the time Timaeus stopped to catch his breath, searching frantically for his missing lover. Otogi gestured a thumb towards the front of the ship, before disappearing into the infirmary for fresh bandages. Timaeus understood when he caught a flash of cloth slapping wetly on the aft deck just above him, and quickly climbed the steps.

Yugi stopped at the top forecastle, in the heart of the storm, and watched the sky change and the sea turn. The pounding rain, soft and urging as his mother's kisses, clicked and chimed in the symphony of pittering bells. In the distance, thunder growled low and faint, relaxed like a proud father lion. The wind, wild and blasting, was like an invisible dance partner catching his moves and almost daring him to stop. The sun peeked through the clouds overhead, and for an instant, the night was noonday bright. His stage illuminated and his audience cheering, Yugi closed his eyes and danced.

His was a chaotic dance: wild and unpracticed, with no hint of order or rhythm. Yet he'd never felt more graceful. More alive. More free.

Wrists crossed and hands fanned above his head, his hips swayed in lopsided circles. He spun. His feet leaped in the air and slapped the wood floor with a wet smack. A jump, then a spin. His arms spread wide and he spun in a circle, then he fell back like he was about to swoon and doubled into an almost backwards roll, and burst into wild laughter.

Vaguely, he wondered if this was how the ibises felt when they took to wing. If they felt so weightless and unbound. Then he wondered what it would be like to have wings. He laughed at the idea of being weighed down by a ruffled bunch of feathers.

He danced again, spinning and laughing in the rain like a carefree child free of restrictions and the binds of titles and privileges, and that was how Timaeus found him.

For a full moment, Timaeus has forgotten all but how to breathe and his breath was a rare and awed gasp of surprise. Rain pounded Yugi's body and his hair and clothes stuck to his skin, making him look ragged and wild and beautifully untamable. The wind pillowed the silks of his skirts about him like dancing wings, making him look ethereal and angelic in Timaeus' eyes.

He watched him, spellbound—unable to speak and unable to move, lest he disturb the magnificent sight before him. Sometimes during the dance, Yugi had his eyes closed and still, he continued to dance. His arms swayed and his back bent forward in a perfect bow then sprang back in an arch that transformed into a backwards spin. A breath caught in Timaeus' throat and stayed there. He knew of Yugi's past as a dancer in the temples, but never had he witnessed it for himself.

He grabbed the railing with a shaking hand. Perhaps it was a good thing he had. He watched Yugi stop and puff his chest forward with a loud release of breath. Timaeus felt a surge of desire rush through him. Yugi's arms stayed open like he was waiting for his lover. When he moaned suddenly, he could bear it no longer and Timaeus dashed forward and captured him in his arms and his lips in a kiss.

It was a soft kiss, barely more than a breath, but it stole all the air from Yugi's body. He relaxed, moaning into the kiss, even as his body collapsed under the intensity of it. His mind clouded and was lost, like he was drowning but had no desire to swim. Strong, calloused hands gripped him gently and stroked his skin, sending tiny jolts of pleasure through him, amplified by the cold wetness of his body.

A moan that desperately wanted to escape tore itself from him and the kiss broke.

Yugi's eyes slowly opened, identifying only vague shapes and unclear shadows. Then colors started to appear, shapes started to solidify, and he recognized the familiar bright green emerald and its solid, pearlescent twin. When the image completely cleared, he saw Timaeus: his eyes ablaze, his chest heaving in heavy, open-mouthed gasps, and his usually-relaxed face wild and beaming with desire.

Desire for _him. _

"Timaeus…" Yugi breathed, eyes half-lidded and veiled with lust. "You're soaked."

Timaeus gasped loudly, hoping the loud, deep gulps of air would unfrazzle his senses, but it did little to clear his mind. Yugi's ambrosia taste lingered on his lips and he licked them clean, hoping to capture every last drop, but it was hollow compared to the memory of those lips. That sweet, mellifluous taste like wine and honeyed nectar from the Gods. Yugi's skin tingled under his fingers, slick and wet and dripping and waiting to be devoured. He licked his lips and rubbed circles along Yugi's hips, mouth curling into a smile when Yugi moaned and shivered.

"T-Tim—Timaeus?" Yugi squeaked out, his clouded mind determined to speak before all coherency abandoned him. "Can you… take me back to our room?"

Timaeus froze, the cloudy haze of lust clearing and stared at Yugi. He met Yugi's eyes sharply. "Are you sure?" he asked, managing to sound severe and starved at once, but insistent that the younger understand just _what_ he was asking.

Yugi met his gaze, and the events of the day flashed before his eyes like a tapestry of time: the words, the promises, the gestures, the true, earnest instance and the promise of celibacy if only he wished it. Smiling softly, Yugi kissed him again, stealing the last of his breath.

"Yes." He nodded, and there was no more need for words.

A wide, curled smirk split Timaeus' face. He pounced like a tiger and scooped his lover into his arms. Yugi shrieked with delight, and wrapped his arms around his husband's neck.

"In that case," Timaeus rasped, husky and hungry and started a quick pace back towards their rooms. "Let's get you out of these wet things."

* * *

I hope you all enjoyed the show...heads up from now on there is gonna be a LOT of knightshipping as I FINALLY plan on giving Yugi and Timaeus time to develop their relationship in every sense of the word...and its gonna be FUN!

If you liked this just wait until we get to Locri ;)

As always read, review, critique, comment, ask questions, go nuts and have fun!

_**NEXT TIME: **The next step is taken and a new depth is reached in the ever growing relationship between the Knight and his Prince._

_**NEXT TIME:**__** SEPTEMBER 24th (for real this time)**_


	48. Chapter XLVIII: Touch

So nice to get an update out on time for once. This is another personal favorite chapter just because of the bonding experience...

Disclaimer: you know the drill.

as always read, review, critique comment ask questions to nuts and have fun!

theme song: This Love by Taylor Swift

* * *

_Chapter XLVIII: Touch_

Wet clothes formed a lascivious path to the bed where two slender bodies laid naked and intertwined. The magnificent mattress welcomed their weight and they sank into its loving embrace. The sheets were casually ripped away but the comforter concealed all but their torsos from uninvited eyes. The only sounds were the occasional creak of stretched wood, the rustle of sheets, and a symphony of tiny, ecstatic giggles and deep, guttural moans.

"Hmm—ah!" Yugi's moan morphed into a high-pitched giggle. He felt Timaeus smirk against his skin and covered his mouth when the other teased the spot he'd just kissed with tiny licks and playful nips. Both hands covering his lips, he giggled under the furry of tiny kisses littering his chest until he could bear it no longer and shrieked with laughter.

Timaeus pulled away, smirking and eyes ablaze. He braced himself on his elbows and surveyed his work: Yugi's chest heaved in tiny, frantic pants, peppered with tiny red marks, and looked quite delectable dressed in nothing but shiny wet kisses. Lotus-blue eyes were half-lidded and clouded with lust, shadowing them to a sparkling impish indigo that reminded him of amethysts. Those soft, flower-petal lips opened slightly to breathe, and tempted him with a teasing lick of that soft pink tongue. He cocked his head slightly like a curious bird, but also exposed the tender flesh of his throat.

Timaeus shivered with a hungry, guttural growl and licked his lips. With Yugi's lips curled and cheeks smirking, eyes bright and sinfully beaming, and that oh-so-tempting tongue… It made Timaeus want to abandon all caution and pounce and devour the delectable little spriteling sprawled beneath him completely. He knew Yugi could not resist him if he did.

If anything, the little sprite was _baiting _him.

Yugi caught him staring, and purposely lowered his eyelids and tilted his head too far right, then left—examining him like a curious bird and exposing the oh-so-tender flesh of his throat: like Timaeus was the patient, clever fox and Yugi was the bird waiting to be eaten. He blinked his eyes, purposely slow—batting the thickest, prettiest lashes Timaeus had ever kissed. _Could he be more obvious? _

Timaeus' response was a greedy chuckle that showed teeth. _Manipulative little imp's a damn tease. _Never before had he felt such need for another person.

"Ah…"

Never had his heart pounded as hard as it did when he heard Yugi moan. Never had his skin burned whenever it brushed against Yugi's. Never had his blood boiled with such fierce, wild abandon as it did when he looked down at Yugi's flushed, panting face. He felt wild and powerful, uncontrollable—like a single sound or gentle touch and he would shatter and release the beast he kept so discretely caged within. Knowing Yugi, however, that was _exactly_ what the imp wanted.

He _had_ been doing just that since their rainy, wet kiss. Since that delicious, monosyllable left Yugi's lips, every tilt of his chin, every wink of his eyes, every casual stroke of his fingers had been a cleverly planned seduction—a game of who would break first. A game Timaeus was all too eager to play and had proved it so by lifting the devious little sprite into his arms and all but sprinted back to the confined safety of the staterooms.

The moment the doors closed, the game had begun, and Yugi wasted no time undoing the lacings of his bodice, eyes half-lidded and shadowed with lecherous ambitions. Timaeus played along, his own free hand going to the clasp around his throat and undid it with a click that sent his mantle pooling behind him in mid-step, and then went to the lacings of his own jerkin. But his gaze was on Yugi's talented fingers sensually undoing the lacings behind his back and slipping the silk from his shoulders.

The silk dropped to the ground with a soft wisp.

With lustrous eyes and a teasing half-smile, Yugi had swayed his hips seductively and set to work on the waist, undoing the belt and—tantalizingly slow—slid the skirt, tights, and small clothes off his hips. Inch by inch, he revealed the soft, honey-milk curves of his waist, hips, and thighs, and finally his shaft until the garments dropped to a puddle at his feet. He'd stepped out of them, unabashed and invulnerable.

Timaeus was unashamed to admit Yugi had almost won, but he'd glimpsed at Yugi's naked flesh before, and though those long, creamy legs and the cat-like way he walked nearly broke him, he'd undone the last of his lacings and slipped the under-armor slowly off his arms. Then down his chest and off his hips until it pooled at his feet, revealing his own golden flesh in all its war-torn perfection: pale sun-kissed skin littered with a valley of scars. To Yugi's dismay, however, Timaeus had purposely left on his small clothes. Tauntingly, Timaeus had asked Yugi what he'd wanted but the other had remained stubbornly silent.

Then Timaeus played his trump card.

He took his strong hand and ran it down his hip, stopping at the waist of the garment and slowly—oh-so-_torturously _slowly—pulled the hem down, exposing only the skin of his left hip. Yugi could stand it no more and pounced, _demanding _Timaeus kiss him. The elder was all too pleased to grant the request, but not before lifting Yugi into his arms and pinning him to their bed.

Gazing down at his little one now, face flushed and pleading—_demanding—_his attention, Timaeus grinned.

Yugi's arms, limp and level with his head, were bare save for the wedding bracelet encircling his wrist in gold and purple flowers that seemed to sparkle with their own mischievous plots. The sight of it sent a jolt of possessive pride through his bones. The fact that that was _his_ _shabka_ Yugi wore—_his _marriage token, _his _symbol of undying love and unity that encircled Yugi's wrist—set a fire burning in his blood, so hot and unquenchable that he thought he'd burst into flames if he didn't have Yugi's kisses to quell them. Yugi was _his_, he realized with a smirk. _Truly his. _No one else would see him like this. No one else would kiss those petal-soft lips, taste the sweet nectar of his mouth, and stroke that honey-milk skin that mimicked silk beneath his fingers, or hear all the delectable little sounds he made.

No one else was _permitted_ to see Yugi like this.

Just as the ferocious, hungry beast he felt slipping through the cracks of his will like hot blood through armor was for Yugi's eyes alone, that part of himself belonged only to Yugi, Timaeus decided, and solidified the decision with another fierce kiss.

His hands slid up Yugi's chest and arms and then finally intertwined lovingly with his fingers, but successfully pinning Yugi's hands to the bed. The younger must've discovered the strategy because he gasped into the kiss and started wiggling his slender hips and torso, but his arms stayed in their place, trapped under the weight of Timaeus' corded muscles. Timaeus ended the kiss too early, and pulled away with a smirk. Yugi pouted with a groan, the lines of his eyes furrowing to a slanted V, and yanked on his arms with a growl of cupidity.

Timaeus' only response was a boisterous laugh. "What's the matter, sweetling?" He released Yugi's arms to rest his chin on his hands and plopped his lower half on top of Yugi's. The boy's growl morphed into some rancorous hybrid of a lusty groan and a needy whine.

Timaeus shifted and leaned his chin on one hand, the free appendage tracing spidery patterns around the curve of Yugi's naked, trembling hip. "Don't you like what I'm doing?" He cocked his head, voice dripping with mock hurt, and shifted his hips. Their lower halves brushed together—his clothed hips against Yugi's naked flesh.

Yugi shivered in impatience and want, but his voice was a chorus of deep, ragged breaths. Timaeus smirked again. He couldn't care less who heard them, and who no doubt would. Yugi was by no means a quiet creature, and Timaeus intended to see just_ what_ kind of sounds he could get his little lover to make.

He considered removing the small cloth for a moment; the tight material did nothing to conceal his passion and the material brushing his heated skin was causing so much friction that his skin _burned_. But it would've meant pulling away from Yugi. It would've meant spending—_wasting—_precious seconds pressed against Yugi's warm, naked flesh. Seconds he had not the time, nor patience, to waste. And of course, it sent Yugi into an apoplexy when he snaked his hands teasingly around the other's waist and, instead of heated skin and man's flesh, he felt only rough, tight cloth—the best parts of his lover still kept preciously secret. It was the imp's own fault though, Timaeus chuckled. He'd played his trump card too early.

"Timaeus…" Yugi whined when Timaeus closed his eyes. A pleading edge crept into his voice. The elder's eyes popped open and examined his pout. Timaeus chuckled. "Yes?"

Yugi smirked, and snaked his arms around the elder's torso and pulled him close. Close enough that his warm breath brushed across Timaeus' cheek. "Kiss me," Yugi ordered softly, eyes glimmering like twin pools of dark water.

Timaeus' eyes slanted and he leaned forward just enough to press his lips to Yugi's: a soft, chaste kiss—ghost-like and feather-textured—not so much intense as it was intoxicating. The moment Yugi felt those warm lips on his own, they parted obediently and tasted the other in his mouth. His eyes clouded and his mind fogged. His shaking arms clenched the elder for support and his body gave way, limp and suddenly weightless like all his bones had turned to water and he'd forgotten everything but how to breathe.

He did not register being laid down until his back sank into the mattress, nor did he feel Timaeus on top of him, until a blanket of warmth enveloped his skin. The kiss was but a brief moment that lasted for eons, and when Timaeus pulled away, Yugi whimpered. When his senses cleared, he found the other on top of him and his wrists trapped above his head in Timaeus' strong hand. His _shabka_ bracelet gave a twinkling click when it moved and their fingers laced lovingly together.

Timaeus seized the opportunity to kiss his throat and Yugi squirmed under the gentle treatment. His nails sank into Timaeus' hands, creating crescent shapes, but the pain sent a spike of desire up Timaeus' spine.

"Timaeus," Yugi whimpered, squirming. He rubbed his face in Timaeus' soft hair and inhaled deeply. His scent reminded Yugi of the desert after a heavy rain: sharp and musky like wet sand, warm air, and with a hint of spices. He looked the other up and down, examining the beautiful, powerful body and yanked hard at his wrists, wanting to explore. "Please…"

His need for Timaeus had become a physical one like breathing or dancing. Blessedly, Timaeus understood and released his wrists to settle his hands on Yugi's hips and set to work kissing and marking the skin there. Yugi wasted no time. Hands explored, converting to memory the map of scars and hills of pulsating muscles. Emboldened by the freedom, Yugi raked his nails over the Trierarch's chest, earning a beastly sound between a growl and purr as his reward.

Deciding he liked Yugi's sudden boldness, Timaeus allowed his hands to rove lower, enjoying the way Yugi's skin trembled under his hands. Yugi wanted him—that was evident—but Timaeus didn't want to move too quickly. Bold as he was being now, Timaeus knew well the idea of taking that final step—becoming one with another person was still a daunting prospect for Yugi, if not terrifying. Curiously, though, he wondered, how far Yugi would let him go, how much he was allowed to touch.

Curious and hungry, his fingers wandered lower. Down to the soft, silky junction between Yugi's thighs and pelvis, teasing the skin there, brushing the semi-erect member, and ghosting over the puckered hole that called Timaeus to own.

Yugi gasped and his eyes flew open, wide with uncertainty. His entire body became alert, like it had suddenly been doused by cold water. He flinched visibly when the hand at his lower back traveled lower, and shivered nervously when it cupped his bottom.

Timaeus' acts of wooing stopped immediately. "As much as I enjoy your boldness," he commented, managing to sound stern and starved at once. He whispered, "Do not be brave if you're still uncertain."

His smile was an unbreakable vow and in his eyes was all the honesty of the world, but there was also a twinge of sadness that nearly cleaved Yugi's heart to pieces. He threw his arms around Timaeus' shoulders and clung to him tightly. "I'm sorry." His voice was choked with tears and pleasure. "I do want you." He clenched the man assuringly. "I _do_… I just…"

A soft kiss pressed against Yugi's temple lovingly. Yugi blinked, surprised, but Timaeus only smiled. "You are uncertain. I understand," Timaeus spoke for him. His words were more than a promise. "If you are not ready, there is nothing wrong with waiting. I could wait forever."

And Yugi knew that Timaeus would. He'd already proven himself a man of incredible patience—especially when it came to Yugi. His heart nearly burst from relief and broke from realization. Timaeus could and _would_ wait, but he shouldn't have had to—and Yugi didn't want him to. Every step, every kiss, every intimate act they'd taken until that point had only been a sample, a taste of what Timaeus had promised him from the very beginning, had he only the courage to accept it—to open his heart as well as his body and truly accept the other's mind, body, and soul. As terrifying a prospect as that was, Yugi wanted that, he _knew_ he wanted that—wanted Timaeus—in every way a wife wanted her husband. Yet as those kisses and touches set his blood on fire and left his heart singing, there was still that lingering, unnamable fear that doused the flames of desirej and sent ice through his veins.

He didn't understand it. He couldn't name it. But he wanted nothing more than for it to vanish and set him free.

"Timaeus—" He tried to speak, but the weight of everything and the overwhelming relief of it suddenly left him dizzy and drowsy.

"Shhh," Timaeus hushed. Oh, that deep sultry baritone was so soothing to his ears. _So soothing_… Yugi thought, blissfully dreamy. Suddenly his eyes were droopy, and his body felt so heavy. He mumbled something incoherent and fell consumed by a warm, familiar darkness.

Timaeus opened his eyes, not recalling when he'd closed them, and listened to the shallow, steady breathing of his lover. "Whatever you decide, I'll—"

Yugi collapsed against him, limp and heavy in his arms. A soft snore confirmed Yugi had innocently drifted into a sound peaceful sleep.

Timaeus gaped open-mouthed in shock. Then he barked out a short snort of laughter. "What am I to do with you?" he asked his sleeping lover in an amused, gruff voice.

Gently, he laid his naked lover down on the bed and tucked the furs over the soft, supple shoulders. He brushed the loose strands from Yugi's sleeping face with a feather-soft wisp of his fingers. His finger traced a smooth line down Yugi's cheek. It was soft and warm under Timaeus' fingers, like honey silk and cotton fuzz. His fingers trailed and settled on the sweet, subtle curve of Yugi's lips, like lotus blossoms. Gods above, Yugi was beautiful. Everything about Yugi was beautiful and soft and sweet.

_Deliciously sweet_. Timaeus licked his lips, still tasting his skin on his lips. The sweetness of his lips. It made him want more—_craved _it like a drowning man craved air.

With a growl, he forced himself to pull away. Breath expelled in a sharp, panting curse, followed by shallow intakes and deep, loud exhales that did little to calm his raging senses. Quickly, he kicked off the sheets and hoisted himself up. Sitting, he rubbed the sweat from his face and slapped his cheeks. When that did nothing, he jogged to the privy and splashed the cool waters over his heated skin. Wetness dampened his ears and neck and scattered raindrops down his chest and back. The action had been meant to cool his overheated skin the same way the sudden rush of cold, crisp water was meant to awaken his mind and calm his frazzled senses.

Both techniques were only half-effective.

Taking loud, rhythmic breaths, Timaeus braced himself against the scuttlebutt, stealing a sideways glace at Yugi's peaceful, slumbering face. It was not long, but it was enough. He collapsed against the barrel, retrieved a bucket, plunged it deep into the water and upended it over his whole body. The galvanizing reaction it brought was a welcome jolt, like suddenly awakening from a long, deep sleep. He shook his head and brushed wetness from his face and combed the damp bangs back with his fingers.

Exhaling a final sigh of relief, he retrieved a cloth from the wall and dried himself.

"Gods be good," he breathed, still heaving.

Never with any of his other lovers had he been so tempted. Never had the desire to take and bend and make love to another been so strong and almost unquenchable. Not even that first time when his hormones raged and threatened to consume him completely. It was unsettling, this unquenchable, unbearable, unbreathable heat—like he was drowning in scalding-hot water and yet he had no desire to breathe. As a man who prided himself on his emotional control, the sudden all-consuming surge of instinct shocked him, but not nearly as much his desire had. That overwhelming urge to kiss his lover awake, tease him senseless until he was moaning, writhing, and begging Timaeus for more. To pound him into the mattress and thrust the shyness from him and do so again and again and again, until the only broken syllable his deliciously ruined, frazzled mind could remember, let alone speak, was "Timaeus!"

Timaeus couldn't help but chuckle. "We'll never survive until our wedding night at this rate," he laughed, hand covering his face. Retrieving his clothes from the floor, he grimaced, finding them still wet, and tossed them in the privy. He settled on a looser equivalent of his under-armor and a fresh pair of small clothes.

Once dressed, he found himself staring at his slumbering bride. Cute, round face pulled into a dreaming, peaceful smile that played across his lips with such childish sweetness, Timaeus thought his heart would burst.

He slid next to him and gently played with Yugi's bangs. Chest fluttering when Yugi snuggled into his touch with a sleepy moan.

Yugi was so beautiful.

Everything Yugi did, everything Yugi was… "Tempted" wasn't the right word, Timaeus thought. More like "delighted"? "Excited"? Whatever it was left him in a near-catatonic state of bliss. He would do anything to keep Yugi smiling and looking at him so lovingly. It was an experience Timaeus had never encountered, but one that made him feel just… happy. It was the only word that could describe it. No, Timaeus decided, stroking Yugi's soft gold and black tresses once more. "Tempted" was not the right word. He didn't care what it was so long as this sweet child's heart was his. Now if only his body would relent…

Timaeus has no desire to break his word—he'd taken the oath, but that had left a hole in the bond between them that needed to be filled, lest it unsettle Yugi further. Yugi was not shy, but he was timid when it came to _true _intimacy. Timaeus could not hold that against him. Virile as Yugi was, he was still young and clearly, the idea of giving himself so completely to another person—let alone someone like himself—still frightened him.

Let alone the act of the intimacy itself.

Yugi would need a gentle awakening, he decided confidently. A short one, no doubt, but a gentle one nonetheless. Yugi was already comfortable enough to fall asleep and wake in his arms, and neither had he any quarrels with Timaeus' constant kisses and intimate touches nor was the wily minx above initiating such acts himself. No, it seemed to be just the act of penetration that left him startled and unhinged.

Well, they would work on that together. After all, Timaeus thought with a grin, Locri was still only a day or two away.

* * *

(Queen sips her wine and a butterfly lands on her glass) Long live the Queen! I'm back baby!

Lots of heat this chapter: which is why it was so difficult to write but it was totally worth it!

I know everyone was expecting a lemon but I hope you were satisfied with the lots and lots of citrius and emotional moments instead. I never intended the lemon to be at this moment more like this is the moment where it's very very clear there is something THERE. Like not just the physical or not just the emotional something is actually, completely there...and now they need to start building it, in their particular case possibly from scratch. For me it's better that way. The emotional is the easy part despite popular belief (and modern media) when it comes down to it and you really love someone than taking a PHYSICAL next step is freaking terrifying! We've all been in Yugi's shoes and Timaeus' as well and I personally love having them in ther situation where they're trying to bridge the gap between the emotional and the physical and the process it takes...but like Tim said Locri is coming and then things will start to beat up ;)

this is actually part one of two so stayed tunes for part 2 next week.

**_NEXT TIME:_**_ The aftermath of the night before yields some mutually uncomfortable revelations and delights._

**_NEXT UPDATE: October 1st_**


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